Note from BW of Brazil: I’m sure some readers will probably glance at the headline and the story and not get why this is a big deal. The incident may have been a reaction to an incident that had recently happened, but the fact is that security harassment of black people is quite common in malls across Brazil. This is why the so-called “rolezinhos” were such a big a deal a few years ago. In a follow up store to the piece from yesterday, protesters gathered at a popular shopping mall in Salvador, Bahia to protest mall security attempting to prevent a 12-year old black child from eating a meal in the mall’s food court after a man step forward and bought a meal for the young boy. Rejection and harassment of black children is common in all sorts of establishments and is normal policy as we’ve seen it in BMW dealerships, pharmacies, Starbucks and other places. You may not see signs that these spaces aren’t meant for black people, but the regular harassment demonstrates the farce that all citizens are treated equally.
Manifestation against racism in mall has debate and rally
Act was response to the case of black boy who was prevented from eating by a security guard
By Roberto Midlej
About 50 people gathered this Saturday (June 16) at Shopping da Bahia to speak out against racism and racial discrimination. The act was a reaction against the episode that happened recently in the establishment, in which a 12-year old black boy, Matheus Santos Silva, was prevented from being served in a restaurant of the food court by security after a customer, Kaique Sofredine, paid for his meal.
(In video above, listen at the 1:24 mark as man tells security that “He (the boy) is gonna eat” and the 2:14 mark showing security attempting to remove boy as woman yells “Don’t do this, no!”
The demonstration began in the food court on the third floor, where a debate was held. The recent case of Leno Sacramento, a black actor of the Olodum Theater Band, who was shot this week by a police officer, was also remembered. “This manifestation is to show that nossos corpos negros importam (our black bodies matter). Black people matter! Every day, our bodies are excluded in these spaces. For these spaces we [blacks] only serve to work, but we don’t serve to consume. They think our bodies were made for the senzala (slave quarters), but we know it’s not like that,” said teacher Amanaiara Miranda to the people attending the meeting.
After other people’s speeches and the reading of poems, the protesters continued walking through the mall, shouting in chorus: “Stop killing us!”, “Our bodies matter!”; “No to media racism!”; “No to institutional racism!”. They also sang the song “População Magoad” of Ilê Aiyê: “Black, black, black masses/ Our honor has to be washed/In the march our honor has to be washed/Wounded population our honor has to be washed.”
There was no reaction from the mall’s security guards, who did not even follow the protesters. Many curious shoppers stopped shopping to observe the act, filmed, and some clapped in approval of the meeting.
Manifestation supported
The retiree Benedito José de Souza, 81, stressed the importance of the act: “It is very accurate; it’s very valid. The raça negra (black race) is as important as any other. The difference is only in the epidermis. Prejudice is unacceptable, especially in Bahia, where there are many more blacks than whites. “
University professor Ricardo Liper also expressed support: “I think the demonstration should happen and it should be here. This shamelessness needs to end. Brazil is one of the most racist countries in the world. What happened to the boy looks like Mississippi in the 1940s,” he said, referring to the American state known for its history of racism.
Rumor surfaced that the security that prevented the restaurant from serving the food was fired, but the mall ensures that he is kept on staff.
Source: Correio 24 Horas
Interesting that this happened in Bahia that is always advertised as a black mecca of sorts. If shit like this can go down in Bahia then where are black ppl safe in Brazil? I just feel sometimes like we are doing the same predictable shit over and over again, a racist incident occur we march, we get loud then it dies down and happens all over again and it’s the same modus operandi. We seriously need to realize that we need to become more insular and stick to ourselves, build communities of our own that provide all the services we need and create our own paradise without mixing into the larger society. What I am saying may seem silly, but I don’t see any other way than becoming an insular, secretive people where you just do not get a chance to access us in any way shape or form. These ppl have too much access to us, we are too available to them, we should be in our own towns and cities where we can flourish in peace without the others having access to us.
We have been working with this same old formula for how many hundred years and it is not working! We need to desegregate completely once and for all and stop letting these spawns of Satan stress us out and shorten our lives. We gave it a shot and it is not our fault, we just were not wanted or accepted so let us get wise and realize that we need to go our own way and let the others be. Black ppl need to shut off themselves from others and create there own paradise together.
Let us realize that these demons have been lying and cheating us since they came to our shores. We cannot accept them in love, they have never shown us love, we have to realize that we cannot ever have peace with them, they are not us and we are not them. They have stolen our riches, people, pride, history, families, peace of mind, hope, dreams, ideas, inventions, health, and our very lives. Why the hell do we think they will ever change, these are enemies, they have been our enemies since their feet touched African soil and yet we are still seeking respect from them, NO, fuck them and move on. They are enemies and will always be. Remove ourselves from their reality so they can turn on themselves. Go your own way, and build your own towns and places of peace and tranquility for the sake of your generations. Why should our children who are born today have to come and go through the same cycle again. It is up to us to create a change so they will not have to suffer like their ancestors did, we have to wise up and wise up fast.
i agree, white people will always be racist, they need black people to do the dirty and dangerous work but they despise the idea of black people progresssing with out white consent/assistance, its true black people need to separate and stay with each other, white people never want black people living around them. they are jealous of suceesful black people.MARCHING wount work