{"id":66133,"date":"2021-06-15T11:21:42","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T14:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=66133"},"modified":"2022-05-31T11:59:57","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T14:59:57","slug":"in-favelas-the-fight-against-police-brutality-begins-in-the-womb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=66133","title":{"rendered":"In Rio&#8217;s Favelas, the Fight Against Police Brutality Begins in the Womb"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3vlm5f0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em>Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-23766 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/PT-e1439583827971.png\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i>This article is the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, \u201c<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/AntiracistFavelaIntro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas<\/i><\/a><i>: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.\u201d Follow our\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/AntiracistRio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas series here<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBaby, I feel ready to welcome you, to love you and care for you!!! May God bless us! My bliss has a name: Maya or Zayon,\u201d posted Kathlen Romeu on social media a week ago.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPn1fQ1Jqe7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">Ver essa foto no Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPn1fQ1Jqe7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uma publica\u00e7\u00e3o compartilhada por KATHLEN ROMEU (@eukathlenromeu)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>13 weeks and 3 days with the love of my life\u2026<\/p>\n<p>I confess they&#8217;ve been quite different! Something new happens all the time! Sometimes, I wake up startled, thinking this isn&#8217;t real but, then, a roaring hunger hits me, a headache, a drowsiness that just won\u2019t quit, uncontrollable nausea and heartburn\u2026 that I guess only Jesus can save me from! At times I think my burps will get me arrested! Yeah, that\u2019s what it\u2019s been like, and then I remember: I\u2019M PREGNANT!<\/p>\n<p>And despite it all, as I write this text today, I feel extremely happy and fulfilled. I feel that I now have an even bigger reason to be the greatest ass-kicker of all time! You know that girl\/woman that everyone admires and is proud of?! Now she just wants to be more and more!!! And everything for this little being I\u2019m carrying in here!<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m discovering myself as a mother and it scares me to think of how it\u2019s going to be\u2026 I laugh out loud, I cry and I get scared. It\u2019s a mixture of feelings. Maybe the craziest in the world, but I\u2019ll laugh at all of this later on\u2026 thank you Lord for blessing my womb and allowing me to carry THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!<br \/>\nBaby, I feel ready to welcome you, to love you and care for you!!! May God bless us!<\/p>\n<p>My bliss has a name: Maya or Zayon<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Interior designer <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3x88xVq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kathlen Romeu<\/a>, 24, a smiling, young, pregnant woman, and her baby, were killed while walking beside her grandmother during what was, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3gr2bda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supposedly, a shootout<\/a> between the police and drug traffickers in <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2WBikE1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Complexo do Lins<\/a>, in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2IgR5qe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">North Zone<\/a>, on June 8, 2021. The <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2WQxnqh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Military Police<\/a> denies there was a police operation happening at the time, and claims that a patrol car passing by the spot reacted to shots fired by traffickers, a <a href=\"https:\/\/glo.bo\/2TkA1si\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">version refuted by family and witnesses<\/a> who, on June 8, saw one more black family add members of its ranks to an interminable list of young favela resident victims of the State, shot to death during a police operation. Romeu&#8217;s grandmother and mother describe how the police invaded the home of a resident and hid there until they saw what were, allegedly, drug traffickers and began shooting from within the house. While the family suffers this unbearable loss, the spokesman for the Military Police defends its officers\u2019 actions in the media and echoes his version of events across social media.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"pt\">Na tarde de hoje, policiais militares da <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UPPLins?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UPPLins<\/a> foram atacados a tiros durante patrulhamento na localidade conhecida como \u201cBeco da 14\u201d. Ap\u00f3s cessarem os disparos, os agentes encontraram uma mulher ferida e a socorreram ao Hospital Salgado Filho, no M\u00e9ier. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PMERJ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PMERJ<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/v3laTFa9jv\">pic.twitter.com\/v3laTFa9jv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 @pmerj (@PMERJ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PMERJ\/status\/1402344441558470657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>This afternoon, military police officers from the Lins Pacifying Police Unit were shot at while patrolling the spot known as \u201cBeco da 14.\u201d Once the shooting stopped, the agents found a wounded woman and offered assistance, taking her to the Salgado Filho Hospital, in M\u00e9ier.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A survey compiled with data taken from shootout monitoring platform <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2Me0OA1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fogo Cruzado<\/a> shows that <a href=\"https:\/\/glo.bo\/3gu0T1f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">almost 700 women were shot<\/a> in the <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2IqnU52\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region<\/a> from 2017 to today. The study included victims of stray bullets and homicides. In these four years, of the 681 women hit by gunfire, 258 died. 15 of those shot were pregnant, eight of whom perished. <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3pFHrT8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ten babies were shot in their mothers\u2019 wombs<\/a> and a single one survived. In addition, there is <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2BtISPV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a growing trend<\/a> of police lethality, which has <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3dbvPA8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increased even during the pandemic<\/a> and despite social isolation.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"&quot;Caso Kathlen mostra fracasso da pol\u00edtica de seguran\u00e7a p\u00fablica do Rio&quot;, diz diretora do Fogo Cruzado\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8PoXGqgY_RA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>After emblematic cases, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2XglQmE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">murder of 14-year-old Jo\u00e3o Pedro<\/a> by Civil Police officers during an operation in <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2WVQCm0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Complexo do Salgueiro<\/a>, and considering the substantial growth of State-perpetrated violence, the <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2LrztMk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rio de Janeiro Public Defenders&#8217; Office<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3cDUik7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Educafro<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/31iVC3k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Global Justice<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2JViAZB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mar\u00e9 Development Networks<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2REBpoP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Conectas Human Rights<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2qh5mLa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Unified Black Movement<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3giZZFF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ISER<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3tnY5aJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Right to Memory and Racial Justice Initiative<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2ZlARX7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Straight Talk Collective<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2ZlARX7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fala Akari Collective<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1Ef6VII\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Network of Communities and Movements Against Violence<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/32OgtQ5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mothers of Manguinhos<\/a> went to the Brazilian Supreme Court (<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3g8Bslu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">STF<\/a>) to officially question the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/12EvidenceNecropolitics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">necropolitics that currently prevails in the state of Rio de Janeiro<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/333E9ie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">STF demanded explanations from the state government<\/a> and, on June 5 2020, a temporary decision was issued affirming the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2BtISPV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Claim of Non-Compliance with a Fundamental Precept 635<\/a> (ADPF 635), which became known as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/35oblSI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ADPF of the favelas<\/a>.&#8221; ADPF 635 was issued by Supreme Court Justice\u00a0Edson Fachin suspending police operations in the favelas of Rio during the pandemic, except in \u201cabsolutely exceptional\u201d circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Complexo do Lins is made up of 12 to 14 favelas. What happened there is yet another explicit violation of the ADPF, maintaining the historic trend of murders committed in favelas and the <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2lYYNgW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">structural racism<\/a> exhibited by the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2Nl100N\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lethality of police operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-e-pessoas-de-fora-comecam-a-concentracao-do-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66141 size-content\" title=\"Residents and outsiders convene before protest begins. Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-e-pessoas-de-fora-comecam-a-concentracao-do-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-e-pessoas-de-fora-comecam-a-concentracao-do-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-e-pessoas-de-fora-comecam-a-concentracao-do-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-940x400.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, June 9, the day after Kathlen was murdered, black and favela movements organized a protest in the designer\u2019s memory, joined by community leaders from Complexo do Lins who had already been rallying supporters through social media for a march leaving from the Light electricity utility&#8217;s substation on Rua Lins de Vasconcelos, at 4pm. The destination was the spot where Kathlen was murdered. The young woman and her baby were buried at the Catumbi Cemetery that same afternoon. Meanwhile, throughout Lins, police roadblocks targeted <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3vrT15B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moto-taxis<\/a> taking residents to the rally\u2019s meeting point.<\/p>\n<p>Gradually, five police vehicles and approximately 25 officers took position, slightly removed from the protesters who were beginning to convene and spread out signs on the ground. Local leaders agreed ahead of time on the route to be followed with a major from the Military Police. The group took off a little before 5pm towards Rua Lins do Vasconcelos, chanting. Calling for \u201cthe abolition of the Military Police!\u201d and chanting \u201cKathlen, present!\u201d, along with \u201cblack and favela lives matter!\u201d Some protesters tried to close off both lanes of traffic but were stopped by police, who restricted the crowd to a single lane.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-segura-foto-de-Kathlen-Romeu-durante-ato-em-memoria-da-jovem-designer.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66143 size-content\" title=\"Protester shows a picture of interior designer Kathlen Romeu during the march in her memory. Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-segura-foto-de-Kathlen-Romeu-durante-ato-em-memoria-da-jovem-designer.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-segura-foto-de-Kathlen-Romeu-durante-ato-em-memoria-da-jovem-designer.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-segura-foto-de-Kathlen-Romeu-durante-ato-em-memoria-da-jovem-designer.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-940x400.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Followed by TV helicopters, there was no ignoring the voices that called for justice and peace in the neighborhood and across the city\u2019s favelas. There were tears, shouts, and anger but, above all, raised fists in memory of the two lives that were violently interrupted. Some looked out their windows, from buildings. Others spread out white banners and shouted slogans, while drivers honked and clapped, even if many others paid no attention or gave no importance to the march for the right to life and in memory of Kathlen.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Namorado-de-Kathlen-e-pai-da-crianca-que-ela-esperava-ja-que-estava-gravida-de-13-semanas-quando-foi-assassinada.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66144 size-content\" title=\"Kathlen's boyfriend and father of the child she was carrying when murdered, 13 weeks pregnant. Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Namorado-de-Kathlen-e-pai-da-crianca-que-ela-esperava-ja-que-estava-gravida-de-13-semanas-quando-foi-assassinada.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Namorado-de-Kathlen-e-pai-da-crianca-que-ela-esperava-ja-que-estava-gravida-de-13-semanas-quando-foi-assassinada.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Namorado-de-Kathlen-e-pai-da-crianca-que-ela-esperava-ja-que-estava-gravida-de-13-semanas-quando-foi-assassinada.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-940x400.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When the protest arrived at the place of the murder, one minute of silence was observed, followed by residents\u2019 shouts for the march to continue to the entrance of the Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) headquarters, two streets away. According to some organizers, there was no point in walking all that way without, in the end, letting the police involved in the shooting hear what residents had to say. By this point, practically only residents were still marching, with most people from outside Complexo do Lins having remained at the crime scene or having left. The act ended at the UPP, while the police listened, motionless, with faces covered and weapons drawn, listening to the residents\u2019 shouts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-chegam-na-UPP-do-Lins-guarnecida-pelo-caveirao-que-antes-era-chamado-de-pacificador.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66145 size-content\" title=\"Residents arrive at the Lins UPP, protected by the armored vehicle, today referred to as the &quot;big skull&quot; but formerly known as the &quot;pacifier.&quot; Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-chegam-na-UPP-do-Lins-guarnecida-pelo-caveirao-que-antes-era-chamado-de-pacificador.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-chegam-na-UPP-do-Lins-guarnecida-pelo-caveirao-que-antes-era-chamado-de-pacificador.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Moradores-chegam-na-UPP-do-Lins-guarnecida-pelo-caveirao-que-antes-era-chamado-de-pacificador.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-940x400.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to Lins resident Cristiane Martins, a social worker, researcher and writer for community newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3wjtrB0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>A Voz do Lins<\/em><\/a>, there is an urgent need to analyze data related to the territory to engender productive public policies. \u201cThere is nothing here in terms of health, education, income generation and employment. Complexo do Lins has its community leaders, but almost nothing as far as the State is concerned, not even NGOs. This results in the marginalization of people, and violence in our surroundings. Education is the main thing [we need].\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66146 size-large\" title=\"Police observe the march before protesters arrive at the place of the murder. Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Policiais-observam-a-manifestacao-antes-de-chegarem-no-local-do-assassinato.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Martins says that \u201cLins seems to have been forgotten, lacking in public policies. We have no security, there have been several other cases of residents who were victims of this same violence. Often you don&#8217;t hear about it, and then nothing happens. For how much longer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Residents feel that when people from outside the community join a protest, the police have no option, they follow the crowd and listen to the shouts for change. And that was what happened. However, when only residents are present, as in the case, for instance, of the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3gmiNCU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">protest that happened on the evening of June 8<\/a> on Estrada Graja\u00fa-Jacarepagu\u00e1, things end with a severe police response including fire, stones and bombs. In these cases, the police tend to act with violence, abuses, and no dialogue. The Wednesday act was important because it reflected the voice of the community where Kathlen grew up and lived in up to month before she was murdered.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Local-onde-Kathlen-Romeu-foi-assassinada-Morro-do-Gamba-Complexo-do-Lins.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66147 size-content\" title=\"Place where Kathlen Romeu was murdered, in Morro do Gamb\u00e1, Complexo do Lins. Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Local-onde-Kathlen-Romeu-foi-assassinada-Morro-do-Gamba-Complexo-do-Lins.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Local-onde-Kathlen-Romeu-foi-assassinada-Morro-do-Gamba-Complexo-do-Lins.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Local-onde-Kathlen-Romeu-foi-assassinada-Morro-do-Gamba-Complexo-do-Lins.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-940x400.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For decades, public security policy for favela territories has been carried out in an extremely abusive, barbaric, and arbitrary manner and with an <a href=\"https:\/\/glo.bo\/3v7kKbK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">undeniably racist bias<\/a>. One month before Kahtlen\u2019s death, there was the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3tuR07R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jacarezinho Massacre<\/a>, where 28 people were killed as a result of a police intervention\u2014the biggest massacre in the history of the city. How can a <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3wdzas6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nine-year-old child, resident of Jacarezinho<\/a>, live her life normally after watching a policeman execute a drug trafficker with a rifle, shooting him twice, point-blank inside her own bedroom, right next to her bed? How can this child keep going to school, when the notebook she uses is smeared with the blood that drained from that slain black body? So many people, most of them young, have had their lives interrupted, despite having so much life left to live. This savagery that takes away the lives of favela residents in the name of the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3cGMltQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">war on drugs<\/a>. This war against the poor has got to end!<\/p>\n<p>During the protest, mourning became a verb in memory of Kathlen and of so many other mothers, parents, daughters and sons killed by the State. M\u00e1rcia Jacinto, mother of Henry, killed at 16 by the police, unburdens the pain of all the mothers of victims of the State, of victims of the black genocide. When one mother cries, all mothers cry:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/CP8rvTtpAh9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">Ver essa foto no Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/CP8rvTtpAh9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uma publica\u00e7\u00e3o compartilhada por RioOnWatch (@rioonwatch)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>An Act for Kathlen \u2013 Marcia cries from the heart: When one mother cries, all mothers cry<\/p>\n<p>Kathlen Romeu, 24, a black woman who was four months pregnant, was murdered in Complexo do Lins, in Rio\u2019s North Zone. The young woman, who had moved away from the favela due to the constant police confrontations, came back to the community on Tuesday, June 8, to visit her grandmother. Kathlen\u2019s family, and many witnesses, blame the police for her death. This version is denied by the Military Police, who claim to have assisted the victim. Kathlen\u2019s grandmother, who was with the young woman when she was hit, says the police only offered aid after she begged for help and assistance.<\/p>\n<p>The black and favela movements organized a protest for this Wednesday, June 9 in Lins, the day after Kathlen\u2019s death. Mourning becomes a verb of remembrance and M\u00e1rcia Jacinto, mother of Henry, killed at 16, pours out the pain felt by every mother of a victim of the State, of victims of the black genocide. When one mother cries, all mothers cry.<br \/>\n#JusticeForKathlen<\/p>\n<p>@Alecerqueiraa<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The mothers and children of Rio demand peace! Why don\u2019t the mothers and the children of Rio\u2019s favelas have the right to live?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-gravida-pinta-Paz-em-sua-barriga-durante-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66148 size-content\" title=\"Pregnant protester paints the word &quot;peace&quot; on her belly during the march. Photo: Alexandre Cerqueira\" src=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-gravida-pinta-Paz-em-sua-barriga-durante-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-gravida-pinta-Paz-em-sua-barriga-durante-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-620x264.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Manifestante-gravida-pinta-Paz-em-sua-barriga-durante-protesto.-Foto-por-Alexandre-Cerqueira-scaled-1-940x400.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i>About the author: A resident of Lins, in Rio\u2019s North Zone, Alexandre Cerqueira has a degree in International Relations and develops primary education projects in favelas using photography and video production as language tools.<br \/>\n<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>About the artist: Born and raised in Complexo do Alem\u00e3o,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3aaDQGG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Amen<\/a>\u00a0is co-founder and communication producer of the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/3lhrz5O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roots in Movement Institute<\/a>, a journalist, a graffiti artist, and an illustrator.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">Support\u00a0<\/b><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0<\/b><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/DonateToRioOnWatch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/DonateToRioOnWatch\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">by clicking here.<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas This article is the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, \u201cRooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.\u201d Follow our\u00a0Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=66133\" title=\"In Rio&#8217;s Favelas, the Fight Against Police Brutality Begins in the Womb\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":66432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1288,1328,1333,335,336],"tags":[3464,3248,1606,756,794,3068,1396,2622,674,3131,3014,1197,25,635,3000,2135,918,1622,1517,2999,213,37,15,888,2481,18,69,809,1189,1555,2634,3245,130,3282,1017,2444],"writer":[3173],"translator":[3174],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-66133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-highlight","8":"category-by-community-contributors","9":"category-event-reports","10":"category-policies","11":"category-violations","12":"tag-adpf-of-the-favelas","13":"tag-black-movement","14":"tag-coletivo-papo-reto","15":"tag-community-organizing","16":"tag-complexo-do-lins","17":"tag-coronavirus","18":"tag-criminalization-of-poverty","19":"tag-event","20":"tag-memory","21":"tag-fogo-cruzado","22":"tag-genocide","23":"tag-greater-rio","24":"tag-human-rights","25":"tag-iser","26":"tag-justica-global","27":"tag-maes-de-manguinhos","28":"tag-military-police","29":"tag-morro-do-gamba","30":"tag-moto-taxi","31":"tag-necropolitics","32":"tag-rede-contra-violencia","33":"tag-north-zone","34":"tag-pacifying-police-unit","35":"tag-police-intimidation","36":"tag-police-violence","37":"tag-protest","38":"tag-public-defenders","39":"tag-public-security","40":"tag-racism","41":"tag-redes-de-desenvolvimento-da-mare","42":"tag-series","43":"tag-series-anti-racism","44":"tag-social-movements","45":"tag-supreme-court","46":"tag-childrens-rights","47":"tag-war-on-drugs","48":"writer-alexandre-cerqueira","49":"translator-clau-guimaraes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/66432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66133"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=66133"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=66133"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=66133"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=66133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}