The mainstream narrative on the Egyptian revolution (during its first phase in 2011) remains confined to the centrality of Tahrir Square’s gigantic demonstrations. This narrative attributes the ouster of Mubarak and the defeat of the police apparatus to the non-violent protests led by middle class activists. My approach in this paper will problematize the dynamics of the revolution from a controversial angle by highlighting the relation between revolution and violence and by questioning the role of neoliberal rule that permeated the social, economic and political atmosphere in Egypt in the years preceding the outbreak of the revolution. The paper aims to deconstruct the instrumental understanding of violence, which depoliticizes and diminishes it to a mere reaction to economic impoverishment, and to see how violent encounters with the police in the slums were articulated with the demonstrations in Tahrir and other squares nationwide. The paper argues that the narrative of Mubarak ouster would be seriously insufficient and analytically limited without understanding such articulation. The question of thuggery (al-baltaga) was at the heart of this articulation in 2011 onward and it became a reiterated topic in political debates, TV talk shows, newspapers, and street talks. Since the major blame for thuggery was directed at residents of slums (‘ashwa’iyyat), the paper will focus on Ezbet Abu Qarn, one of the most stigmatized informal areas in Cairo. Seen as a place of dire poverty, a haven of criminality and moral decadency, and time bomb potentially unleashing destructive chaos that could sweep the country, Ezbet Abu Qarn exemplifies the discourse on ‘ashwa’iyyat during the last 20 years. The focus on Ezbet Abu Qarn will also reveals how violence and marginalization were part and parcel of the neoliberal transition in Egypt and how they were consequently intertwined with the outbreak of the revolution.