On May 13, the date that marked the official end of slavery in Brazil in 1888, Black movements across the country called for protests against the deaths of 28 people in the Jacarezinho favela. In São Paulo, the demonstration began on Av. Paulista and highlighted the names of victims of police violence.
Last Thursday's (6) operation was the most lethal police action in the history of the state of Rio de Janeiro. A civilian police officer also died. At the time, residents reported shootings, use of police helicopters and armored vehicles. Videos and photos showed blood stains inside homes, as well as bodies being carried out by agents.
Organized by the Black Coalition for Rights in partnership with other Black leaders, the protests took place in several other capitals, such as Rio de Janeiro, Rio Branco, Fortaleza, Salvador, Goiânia, Teresina, Maceió, João Pessoa, Macapá, Natal, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Vitória, São Luís, Belém, Cuiabá and Brasília.
In the capital of São Paulo, under the motto “Not Bullets, nor hunger, nor Covid, Black People Want to Live,” the names of Marielle Franco, Amarildo de Souza, Beto de Freitas and several victims of police violence were remembered. Episodes such as the Candelária Massacre and the May Crimes were also cited.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon