Military Police took more than 100 shots at the five black youth killed in car in Rio; governor says case didn’t involve racism

Note from BW of Brazil: Every now and then, a comment will appear on this blog, social media or some other outlet in which someone will ask questions/make comments of the sort: “why do you focus on the bad things that happen in Brazil?” “You’re going to scare away tourists with these reports!” “I prefer to focus on the positive things.” Sometimes one has to wonder if these people simply prefer to bury their heads in the sand in order not to deal with horrific news, or if denial saves them from pain or perhaps they don’t feel such occurrences because it has personally affected their family. 

Well, this is not the position of this blog. It is indeed very painful having to deal with the non-stop violence that Brazil subjects its black population to. The fact is, as much as we’ve reported these tragedies, if it were the intent of this blog, we could actually post a shocking, brutal murder or violation of human rights everyday. But that’s not the scope of this site. Even so, we feel it is necessary to report on these events, as painful as they are, because THEY HAPPEN! Throughout the life of this blog we’ve seen that the mainstream media is simply not (and never will be) fair and unbiased in its reports. As such, in a few days, the victims of this latest police bloodbath will simply be remembered as five more young black men who died as a result of violent death in Brazil having a preference for dark skin. 

With every report of the brutality of Brazil’s police, the more I am convinced that there is a program that calls for the extermination of black people from Brazil. Professor Dennis Oliveira discussed this a few years ago. How else can one explain such cruel examples of disregard for life when this seems to happen so regularly? 

Police took more than 100 shots at the five black youth killed in car in Rio

According to the PM, 111 were fired by the weapons of the four police officers. Police may be expelled before the trial of the common court.

Courtesy of G1

Over a hundred shots were fired by police officers involved in the deaths of five young men shot in Costa Barros, in the suburb of Rio, on Saturday night (28). At least fifty shots hit the car where the boys were, as reported by Bom Dia Rio.

The action, which was already being considered exaggerated by the police themselves, had more firearm shots than was reported initially. In addition to the shots that hit the vehicle, other shots were taken but did not hit the car in which the young people were. According to the MP, 111 shots were fired by the guns of the police, with 81 from rifles and 30 from pistols.

The police may be expelled from the corporation before they are judged by the civil courts. The MP-General Command ordered on Tuesday the immediate opening of the administrative process to judge the expulsion of four military police officers because of the action. Also been granted by the courts was preventative prison for the four that will remain with the Batalhão Especial Prisional (BEP or Special Prison Battalion).

“All I want is justice. My son did not deserve this. And I did not deserve to see my son the way I saw him. I don’t know how or when I’ll get over it. I don’t know how long this will take. I keep wondering why there is so much violence and why we have to live in a country of this kind. Why do so many people go away to raise their children and grandchildren. Honestly, I’m no longer proud that I am Brazilian,” said Rosilene Rodrigues, Wesley’s mother. She said her son left a 2 year old grandson.

Rosilene also said he believes in the punishment of the police. “I have to use my last forces to defend my son.” She confirmed that her son had two previous run-ins with the police, but nothing was proved and he was acquitted. Public defender Fábio Amado also confirmed that Wesley was apprehended by the police for trafficking, but was acquitted.

Mother says son was alive and police refused to help

Young man died after being shot by Military Police in Costa Barros on Sunday

Courtesy of R7

The mother of Wilton Esteves, said her son was alive when she arrived on the scene. Márcia Ferreira (above photo) also denounced the omission of help on the part of the police.

According to Márcia, she asked police agents to take the boys to a health facility near the place where they were shot.

“I got there and I was screaming at the police, asking for help, for God’s sake, because it was for the police to save them. And I was saying that there was a UPA [Unit of Emergency Care] nearby. I said, ‘For God’s sake, don’t you have a son? There’s a UPA nearby, help him, he is still alive.”

Érica Esteves said her nephew, who was 20, was a studious boy and had almost graduated from a course in technical education.

“I helped my brother to raise him. I saw him speak his first word and these police came to take his life. Wilton was a diligent student and was about to graduate from a technical course in accounting and administration.”

The bodies of Roberto de Souza Penha, 16, Carlos Eduardo Silva de Souza, 16, Cleiton Correa de Souza, 18, Wesley Castro Rodrigues, 25, and Wilton Esteves Domingos Junior, 20, were buried on Monday (30). Burials took place in the cemetery of Irajá, in Rio’s north zone.

At the burial, one of the mothers of young people claimed to have been threatened with death by the police after approaching and saying that the boys were not criminals.

The NGO Rio de Paz held a protest at the cemetery. According to the NGO, the goal of the action was warn of violent situations in Rio. In the demonstration, posters with the names of the victims and a two meter Brazilian flag with 50 holes in it were used. The founder of Rio de Paz, Antônio Carlos da Costa, said the PMs are preoccupied with murdering criminals, but forget the innocent.

Military Police caught in the act

The Civil Police arrested MPs Thiago Resende Barbosa Viana, Marcio Darcy Alves dos Santos and Antonio Carlos Gonçalves Filho, suspected of involvement in the massacre. According to the chief of Pavuna (39th Precinct), they will stand for murder – with intent to kill – and procedural fraud by altering the crime scene. The MP Fabio Pizza Oliveira da Silva was also arrested, but will answer only the latter crime. Witnesses reported that officers placed a toy gun near the car in which young people were.

Exonerated early on Monday morning (30) by the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro was Lt. Col. Marcos Netto, commander of the Battalion of Irajá (41 BPM) unit where MPs suspected of killing the young people are being held.

In a statement, the MP said that the dismissal occurred “because of recent unfortunate events involving police officers under his command.” The corporation also reported that “the actions conflict with the guidelines of the Corporation’s Command. The dismissal is a result of the effort that the MP has developed lately towards changing operational standards of units in conflagrated areas.” In the place  of Netto, Jorge Fernando Pimenta de Oliveira, who currently heads the 32nd BPM (Macaé), assumes the place of Lieutenant Colonel.

The 41^st BPM (Irajá) opened a Military Police inquiry to clarify the case. According to the corporation, the MP agents being held will be transferred to the prison unit of the MP and will respond in the ordinary and military courts.

Reactions

“My son was a homebody…He was at home, work and home. He didn’t involve himself in anything. His first salary, he went to celebrate in Parque Madureira. Coming back, he went to get something to eat with his colleagues and look what happened: more than 50 shots,” defended Jorge Roberto Lima da Penha, Roberto’s father.

“If my son had killed a police soldier, he would be imprisoned in Bangue. I want them (the MPs) imprisoned and not in the barracks. I only ask that (Governor Luiz Fernando) Pezão, as a Christmas present: a crown of flowers on the casket of my son,” said Mônica Aparecida Corrêa, Cleiton’s mother.

Rio’s governor Luiz Fernando Pezão affirmed on December 30^th that the murder of the five young men didn’t involve racism. He instead classified it as an abominable crime.

“It didn’t involve racism. It’s an error and error that we combat as I said here. We will combat (it). It’s not racism,” said the governor (1).

He also affirmed that Military Police have undergone psychological analysis and police that shoot the most in the state and expel those that commit proven crimes. In a study divulged this year, Amnesty International pointed out that 79% of people killed by Military Police between 2010 and 2013 in Rio de Janeiro were black, 99.5% male and 75% were between the ages of 15 and 29, the age range that fit the five victims of this latest bloodbath on Saturday.

Still according to Pezão, since the beginning of the government of his predecessor, Sérgio Cabral, when he was Vice-Governor, more than 900 Military Police were expelled. In 2015, the number punished came to 111. The governor affirmed that he requested for state organs to provide assistance to the families of the victims.

“It’s very painful, it’s abominable, very sad, we see almost 50 shots taken at an automobile. This is not trivial, it’s not normal. I requested a very serious investigation, I requested that the Attorney General of the state, the Public Attorney and out Social Assistence to give all support. It’s the least we can do,” he observed.

Source: G1, R7, Jovem Pan, Jovem Pan (2)

Note

1. Apparently, Rio’s governor feels the need to deny any racial overtones in his states latest massacre, although all five victims, as is usually the case, are black. Like journalist Alexandre Garcia and millions of others, its better to remain in denial and divert the truth than make Brazil take a long look in the mirror. But when the preceding governor of Rio described the cities periphery as a “factory of marginals”, we know who he was talking about.