{"id":39837,"date":"2024-12-09T18:22:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T18:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/?post_type=noticia&p=39837"},"modified":"2024-12-11T18:58:23","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T18:58:23","slug":"a-legacy-of-pain-police-lethality-and-the-human-rights-crisis-in-sao-paulo","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/a-legacy-of-pain-police-lethality-and-the-human-rights-crisis-in-sao-paulo\/","title":"A legacy of pain: police lethality and the human rights crisis in S\u00e3o Paulo","content":"

On November 7, military police officers attended the wake, funeral procession, and burial of 4-year-old Ryan da Silva Andrade Santos. On foot, riding motorcycles, and in patrol cars, they displayed high-caliber firearms. At one point, one of the patrol cars blocked the procession\u2019s route, claiming to be \u201corganizing traffic.\u201d The police presence caused discomfort and intimidation among family members, children, teenagers, and residents of Morro do S\u00e3o Bento in the Baixada Santista region on the coast of S\u00e3o Paulo, some of whom had witnessed the police action that led to the deaths of Ryan and Gregory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days earlier, on November 5, a police operation claimed Ryan\u00b4s life. During the same operation, 17-year-old Gregory Ribeiro Vasconcelos was also killed, while a 15-year-old teenager and a 24-year-old woman were injured. In a press conference, the military police admitted that the shot \u201cpossibly\u201d came from an officer’s weapon, stating that the agents had been defending themselves from criminals. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the week marking one month since these crimes, other cases of police violence in S\u00e3o Paulo have drawn significant attention. Among them are the case of a <\/span>man thrown off a bridge by military police officers<\/span><\/a> and another <\/span>man killed by an off-duty police officer<\/span><\/a> after taking a bar of soap from a store. <\/span><\/p>\n

Information about the deaths of Ryan and Gregory can be found in <\/span>The Third Report on Human Rights Violations in the Baixada Santista: Developments of \u201cOperation Shield\/Summer<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/a>, prepared by the S\u00e3o Paulo Police Ombudsman, civil society organizations and human rights movements, including Conectas. <\/span><\/p>\n

During Ryan’s burial, the Police Ombudsman, Claudio Aparecido da Silva questioned the presence of the police at the location. <\/span><\/p>\n

“It is repugnant, it is absurd. Here in the state of S\u00e3o Paulo, it has become government policy to deploy police to the funerals of people killed by the police themselves, to intimidate people. This is shameful and it is the height of disrespect for people’s fundamental rights. Is it no longer possible to hold a funeral in this state?” The ombudsman asked the newspaper, <\/span>O Globo<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the same afternoon on November 7, there were also two patrol cars in the cemetery during Gregory’s burial. Speaking to <\/span>O Globo<\/span><\/i>, the teenager’s mother, Lucin\u00e9ia Damasceno, expressed her sorrow at not being able to hold a wake for her son, as his face was \u201ccompletely disfigured\u201d during the preparatory procedures for the burial. <\/span><\/p>\n

The increase in police violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The deaths of these young individuals occurred in the wake of Operations <\/span>Shield and Summer<\/span><\/a>, carried out in the Baixada Santista, from July 2023 to April 2024. These operations, which resulted in 84 victims, are considered to be the most lethal police operations in S\u00e3o Paulo’s history\u2014second only to the Carandiru massacre, where 111 inmates were killed, and the May 2006 Crimes, which claimed over 500 lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the victims of Operation Summer was Leonel Andrade Santos, a 36-year old man who walked with the aid of crutches. Neighbors told the newspaper, <\/span>Deutsche Welle Brasil<\/span><\/a>, that the police ordered Leonel to throw the crutches on the ground and run. When he was unable to do so he was shot in the chest. <\/span><\/p>\n

Leonel was Ryan\u00b4s father. <\/span><\/p>\n

Beatriz da Silva Rosa, Ryan\u00b4s mother and Leonel\u00b4s wife, <\/span>says<\/span><\/a> the governor of S\u00e3o Paulo has never reached out to express his sympathy or offer support of any kind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between January and September 2024, the state of S\u00e3o Paulo recorded 496 deaths resulting from police interventions, according to data from the State Department of Public Security (SSP). This figure represents a 75% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. In the capital of S\u00e3o Paulo, there were a total of 130 victims. In the Baixada Santista alone, 109 deaths were recorded, averaging one victim every three days. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the report <\/span>Pele alvo: Mortes que revelam um padr\u00e3o<\/span><\/i><\/a> (Targeted skin: Deaths that reveal a pattern), by the Security Observatory Network, in 2023, state security agents in Brazil killed 4,025 people, 2,782 of whom were Black. The data also shows that the police killed 243 children and adolescents aged between 12 and 17.<\/span><\/p>\n

On November 18, Conectas submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations to investigate the killings of Ryan and Gregory. The request was sent to the UN Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, racial justice, and racism, highlighting the increasing police lethality affecting Black and marginalized communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the recommendations to Brazilian authorities, in addition to independent investigations, temporary reassignment of the officers involved, and support for the families, is the mandatory use of body cameras. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to Carolina Diniz, coordinator of the Police Violence Prevention Program at Conectas, police lethality and violence are systemic issues in S\u00e3o Paulo. \u201cThe recent cases are just a cruel example of how public security agents act, especially against poor and Black populations,\u201d she emphasizes. In her view, the data is enough to demonstrate that these are not isolated incidents, contrary to the claims of the S\u00e3o Paulo authorities. <\/span><\/p>\n

As highlighted in the report <\/span>Targeted Skin<\/span><\/i>, the state of S\u00e3o Paulo has undergone a significant transformation in its approach to public security. It had been recognized for its progress in reducing deaths caused by police, but 2023 marked a turning point under the new state administration of Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas. The government not only endorsed violence as a political tool but also changed the profile of the Public Security Secretary’s leadership, placing former police officer Guilherme Derrite at the helm. They also reduced investments in body cameras, undermining progress previously made.<\/span><\/p>\n

Police subjectivity<\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

In September, the S\u00e3o Paulo Military Police signed a contract with a company for the acquisition of 12,000 new body cameras. The replacement of the 10,125 devices already in use was justified by cost savings, as the new cameras will allow officers to turn the equipment on and off as needed, reducing the amount of data stored. Until <\/span>December<\/span><\/a> 2024, when the changeover is due to take place, police officers do not have this autonomy. <\/span><\/p>\n

The contract with the camera company was signed after six companies reported technical test failures and alleged favoritism in the bidding process. The accusations include favoritism toward Motorola and the presence of a “delete” button on the equipment, despite the bidding notice prohibiting the manual deletion of files. In its approval, the Military Police explained that the company claimed the button functions as a “selective filter” rather than a delete function.<\/span><\/p>\n

The change may hinder investigations into police violence. Experts warn that not using the equipment for the entire shift increases the risk of indiscriminate use of force without proper oversight. Additionally, the lack of recordings could complicate the production of essential evidence for investigations and reduce the protection of officers, who might find themselves in dangerous situations or have their conduct questioned without the support of video footage.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to a legal action by the Public Defender’s Office, supported by Conectas and Plataforma JUSTA, the President of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Lu\u00eds Roberto Barroso, ruled on Monday (9) that military police officers in S\u00e3o Paulo must mandatorily use body cameras during operations.  <\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>public statement<\/span><\/a>, Conectas highlighted that the military police officers involved in the operation that ended the lives of Ryan and Gregory were not wearing body cameras. \u201cThe use and regulation of body cameras attached to police uniforms are measures that help reduce abuses committed by public security agents during interventions. Cameras have proven effective in reducing deaths of both civilians and the police officers themselves.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Minister Rog\u00e9rio Schietti, of the Superior Court of Justice, stated in a report by the TV program, <\/span>Fant\u00e1stico<\/span><\/a>, that \u201cwhen you have equipment that removes any degree of subjectivity from the evidence, it makes the criminal process much more efficient and secure, avoiding judicial errors and ensuring that innocent people are not convicted. Consequently, it also ensures that those who should be convicted are punished more effectively\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

A study by FGV indicated that between July 2021 and July 2022, the use of body cameras by S\u00e3o Paulo’s military police prevented 104 deaths. Additionally, a study by the Brazilian Public Security Forum and UNICEF, published in May 2023, revealed that  lethality among on-duty officers was at its lowest in history in 2022, highlighting the positive impact of body cameras in reducing police violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Incalculable calculations <\/strong><\/h2>\n

“The serious issues in public security, in my view, are centered on Derrite, who has shown that he no longer has control over police violence and is making use of the media in the face of the public security situation.” Rafael Alcadipani, a professor at FGV and a member of the Brazilian Forum for Public Security, stated in an interview with the newspaper, <\/span>O Globo<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to reporting by the magazine, <\/span>Piau\u00ed<\/span><\/a>, Derrite has previously been investigated for 16 homicides that occurred during operations he participated in as a police officer in the ROTA unit. <\/span><\/p>\n

“The position is not occupied by a qualified professional with expertise in the field, but rather by a politician. The officers have the sense that their actions will go unchecked, and that’s why we’re experiencing what we are. It seems to me that the current secretary’s expiration date has passed.” The professor remarked.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>O Globo<\/span><\/a>, although Tarc\u00edsio has stated his intention to seek re-election in 2026, he is gaining traction as a potential presidential candidate\u2014mainly due to Jair Bolsonaro’s ineligibility. Meanwhile, Derrite, considered a possible successor to Tarc\u00edsio in the S\u00e3o Paulo government, faces resistance. Following the escalation of violence, even allies who supported his appointment are reconsidering their stance, citing \u201ca succession of mistakes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

While politicians make their calculations, the victims of police violence face incalculable losses. Beatriz Silva Rosa, Ryan’s mother and Leonel’s widow, talks about the despair of the families involved: \u201cThey [the police] want to kill the fathers in the favelas, waiting for their children to grow up so they can shoot it out with them and kill them too.\u201d In Ryan’s case, they didn\u00b4t even wait that long.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Timeline: police lethality in S\u00e3o Paulo<\/b><\/h2>\n

27 July 2023<\/b>
\n<\/span>Death of the soldier Patrick Bastos Reis a police officer of ROTA, an elite unit of the S\u00e3o Paulo Military Police<\/span><\/p>\n

28 July 2023<\/b>
\n<\/span>Start of Operation Shield, the S\u00e3o Paulo government\u00b4s response to the death of the soldier, Patrick<\/span><\/p>\n

30 July 2023<\/b>
\n<\/span>The Public Defender’s Office was called upon by the S\u00e3o Paulo Police Ombudsman’s Office to monitor the operation, which had recorded seven deaths and at least nine fatalities.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 September 2023<\/b>
\n<\/span>The Public Defender\u00b4s Office and Conectas call on the Court to mandate the S\u00e3o Paulo government to equip police officers with body cameras<\/span><\/p>\n

The Public Security Secretariat announces the end of Operation Shield. Final death toll: 28 people.<\/span><\/p>\n

13 December<\/b>
\n<\/span>The S\u00e3o Paulo Court of Justice rules that the Military Police are not required to use cameras during operations following attacks<\/span><\/p>\n

18 December 2023<\/b>
\n<\/span>Start of Operation Summer<\/span><\/p>\n

12 February 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>Conectas, Public Defender\u00b4s Office, Vladimir Herzog and the Forum for Public Security call for intervention by the UN and IACHR following an increase in violence in the Baixada<\/span><\/p>\n

8 March 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>Conectas and Arns Commission report Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas to the UN for deaths during Operation Shield.<\/span><\/p>\n

“They can go to the UN, to the Justice League, or wherever the hell they want\u2014I couldn’t care less,” said Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas when asked about the complaint<\/span><\/p>\n

26 March 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>The S\u00e3o Paulo Police Ombudsman’s Office, civil society organizations, and human rights advocacy movements launch the Second Monitoring Report on Human Rights Violations in the Baixada Santista during the second phase of Operation Shield<\/span><\/p>\n

28 March 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>Conectas and the Public Defender\u00b4s Office send a document to the UN with an update regarding human rights violations that took place during Operations Shield and Summer<\/span><\/p>\n

1 April 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>End of Operation Summer. Final death toll: 56 people<\/span><\/p>\n

7 November 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>Deaths of Ryan and Gregory<\/span><\/p>\n

25 November 2024<\/b>
\n<\/span>Conectas submits an appeal to the UN regarding the deaths of Ryan and Gregory<\/span><\/p>\n

9 December 2024<\/b><\/p>\n

Supreme Federal Court (STF) mandates the use of body cameras for Military Police<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>","excerpt":"

On November 7, military police officers attended the wake, funeral procession, and burial of 4-year-old Ryan da Silva Andrade Santos. On foot, riding…<\/p>\n","author":26,"featured_media":39794,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[7],"tags":[13370],"tema":[12270],"class_list":["post-39837","noticia","type-noticia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-police-lethality","tema-confronting-institutional-violence"],"acf":{"subtitle-pt":"The death of a 4-year-old boy, whose father had also been killed by police officers, exposes the cruel face of operations in the state. The escalating violence and police lethality under Governor Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas highlight the urgent need for changes in public security practices","links_para_referencia":false,"author":{"ID":26,"user_firstname":"Gabriel","user_lastname":"Guerra","nickname":"gabriel.guerra","user_nicename":"gabriel-guerra","display_name":"Gabriel Guerra","user_email":"","user_url":"","user_registered":"2021-03-15 20:54:31","user_description":"","user_avatar":""}},"yoast":{"focuskw":"police lethality","title":"","metadesc":"The death of a 4-year-old boy, whose father had also been killed by police officers, exposes the cruel face of operations in the state.","linkdex":"59","metakeywords":"","meta-robots-noindex":"","meta-robots-nofollow":"","meta-robots-adv":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","opengraph-title":"","opengraph-description":"","opengraph-image":"","twitter-title":"","twitter-description":"","twitter-image":""},"featured_image":{"original":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan.jpg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-966x644.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-768x505.jpg","large":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-1024x674.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan.jpg","post_slider_img":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-350x230.jpg","storyform_xlarge":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-1168x768.jpg","storyform_xxlarge":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan.jpg","storyform_xxxlarge":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan.jpg","noticia":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fotos_ryan-1140x760.jpg"},"terms":{"acoes_categorias":[],"acoes_tags":[],"category":[{"term_id":7,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":7,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1520,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","permalink":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/category\/news\/","relative_link":"category\/news\/","langs":{"en":"news","br":"noticia-conectas"}}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":13370,"name":"police lethality","slug":"police-lethality","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":13370,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","permalink":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/tag\/police-lethality\/","relative_link":"tag\/police-lethality\/","langs":{"en":"police-lethality","br":null}}]},"author_name":"Gabriel Guerra","author_nicename":"gabriel-guerra","protected":false,"langs":{"en":"a-legacy-of-pain-police-lethality-and-the-human-rights-crisis-in-sao-paulo","br":"herdeiros-da-dor-a-letalidade-policial-e-a-crise-de-direitos-humanos-em-sao-paulo"},"permalink":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/a-legacy-of-pain-police-lethality-and-the-human-rights-crisis-in-sao-paulo\/","relative_url":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/a-legacy-of-pain-police-lethality-and-the-human-rights-crisis-in-sao-paulo\/","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/39837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/noticia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39837"},{"taxonomy":"tema","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tema?post=39837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}