Check out the events pertaining to the 19th anniversary of the May Crimes
Organized by the Mães de Maio (Mothers of May) movement and other organizations, these activities include book releases, project launches, demonstrations, and a seminar
Débora Maria da Silva, co-fundadora do Mães de Maio. Foto: Gabriel Guerra/Conectas
In May, Movimento Independente Mães de Maio and other movements carry out a series of events in the struggle for memory, justice, reparation and non-repetition by several women, mothers, who have lost their children to government actions.
Movimento Independente Mães de Maio was created in response to the massacre of 2006, in which over 500 people were murdered by law enforcement and death squads in several neighboring outskirts of São Paulo, including the Baixada Santista region. This year, the May Crimes are completing their 19th anniversary and the victims’ families are still left without answers.
The first event of the month takes place on 05/05, with a book release and a tribute to teacher and social worker Francilene Gomes Fernandes. Francilene was part of Movimento Independente Mães de Maio and passed away in 2024, fighting for the recognition and accountability for the forced disappearance of her brother and other victims of May 2006.
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On May 8th, the Movement, in a partnership with Conectas, Initiativa Negra por uma nova Política de Drogas (the Afro-Brazilian initiative for a new drug policy) and Amnesty International, are organizing the International Seminar “State Violence in the May Crimes – The Right to Memory, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition”, at the headquarters of Ação Educativa.
Check out the full schedule:
05/05
06:00 p.m. – Book release: “Tecendo Resistências” (Weaving Resistances, in a free translation)
Open meeting for the release of the book by social worker, thinker, and activist of the Mães de Maio movement, Francilene Gomes Fernandes.
Venue: Tuquinha/PUC-SP
05/07
10:00 a.m. to 01:00 p.m. – Launch of the “EnfrentAção” project
Multiprofessional Research and Intervention from interviews with mothers and relatives of victims of State violence. The project is made through a partnership between Movimento Independente Mães de Maio and Unifesp, implemented by the Center for Archeology and Forensic Anthropology (CAAF/Unifesp), with funding from the Secretariat of Access to Justice (SAJU) of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The event is held in a hybrid capacity, broadcast on the YouTube channel of PROEC Unifesp.
Venue: In-person, at the Profª Drª Ieda Maria Longo Maugeri auditorium (Unifesp Dean’s Office), Rua Sena Madureira 1500, ground floor, Vila Clementino.
05/08
From 02:00 p.m. to 07:00 p.m. – International seminar: State Violence in the May Crimes – Right to memory, justice, reparation and non-repetition – Release of the Popular Tribunal
Pedagogic seminar for a critical reflection and collective construction of paths to fight state violence in Brazil, with particular focus in Popular Justice practices. The meeting will also attempt to incorporate perspectives on the prison system and drug policies, expanding discussions on social control and exclusion mechanisms operated by the State government. In addition to the release of the Popular Tribunal, a political and pedagogic initiative that will gather family members, militants, legal experts, artists, and researchers in a collective process. The Popular Tribunal will extend to May 2026, culminating in a symbolic trial of the Brazilian State for the crimes perpetrated in May 2006, and its systematic policy of exterminating black youth from the outskirts.
Venue: Ação Educativa – Rua Gen. Jardim, 660 – Vila Buarque, São Paulo – SP.
05/12
10:30 a.m. to 01:00 p.m. – Demonstration seeking justice for Luiz Fernando Alves de Jesus during the first hearing of the case.
On February 10, 2023, Luiz Fernando, a 20-year-old man, was murdered by ROTA (Special Forces) police officers at Avenida Cecília Lottenberg, in São Paulo. Body cam footage of the officers recorded the raid, which led to ample social unrest and culminated in the State Attorney’s Office charging those involved with murder and procedural fraud.
Venue: Barra Funda Criminal Court.
05/12
Gathering at 05:00 p.m. – Public demonstration of memory and resistance, officially starting the Week of State Violence Victims in São Paulo, held in Santos.
Venue: Estação da Cidadania – Av. Ana Costa, 340 – Santos/SP
