First, according to the OECD fact-book, The US has about the same income disparity among its citizens and its getting worse with deregulation and the steady attack on Taxes, the commons, and the welfare state. Second, with inequality comes scapegoating (specifically misdirected blame for societal problems), if this doesn't sound familiar, and you live in the US, it will become evident soon. Especially if we have half of our political establishment signing "no tax" pledges, in hopes that the government and commons will shrink to a size where it can be "drown in a bathtub".
The kids in this movie are treated as less than human and are commonly blamed to this day for anything that goes wrong in Brazil. Race may play a part in this prejudice, however I would argue it is more of a defense mechanism for society to keep the underclass out of sight, incarcerated, or otherwise marginalized instead of finding a more complex and sustainable solution.
That being said, this documentary would have been dangerous to make and I, for one am glad it was. Without a good story being told from their perspective, it would be easier to keep them and others out of the collective consciousness by dehumanizing and then forgetting them.