The launch of the study “The Impacts of Armed Violence on the Lives of the Women of Maré: gender, territory and artistic practice”on the afternoon of this Friday (14th) in Complexo da Maré, in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, was interrupted by a shootout.
The qualitative study took a scientific look at reports of how shootings impact the lives of women in the region. Carried out as part of the De Olho na Maré project, maintained by the non-governmental organization Redes da Maré, it involved researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and two British institutions, the universities of Warwick and Cardiff.
The denunciation of the police action during the launch event is by state deputy Renata Souza, president of the Commission for the Defense of Women’s Rights of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj).
She was participating in the meeting at Casa das Mulheres da Maré, with about 70 women, when the launch was abruptly interrupted by violent shooting. The participants had to run inside the NGO’s headquarters seeking protection from the shots. According to the deputy, the shots came from a helicopter.
Also trapped at the site were researchers Claire Blencowe (University of Warwick), Joana Garcia (School of Social Work at UFRJ), Julian Brigstocke (University of Cardiff) and Rosana Morgado (School of Social Work at UFRJ).
The deputy got in touch with Governor Cláudio Castro and denounced the threatening situation created by the State for the population of the favela, in the middle of the hour of leaving schools.
“I came here invited to talk about the impacts of violence on women’s lives and a huge, impromptu operation is being set up at the time the children leave school. People have already been shot here in Maré and I would like you to be sensitive to this and see what is happening. I am here inside the NGO in a very delicate situation, with desperate women”, said Renata Souza to the governor, in an audio obtained by Brazil Agency.
“As a black woman and Maré’s offspring, this was not the only time, unfortunately, that I lived and witnessed this terrifying situation. But as a parliamentarian, representative of the people, yes, it is the first situation of real danger that I face with the residents of the favela”, declared the deputy.
Police
According to the Civil Police, agents from the Cargo Robbery and Theft Police Station (DRFC), who carry out daily actions around Complexo da Maré “to prevent stolen cargo from entering the community”, were shot at by criminals on Avenida Brasil , on one of the access roads to Nova Holanda. A vehicle was hit with 4 rifle shots, according to the corporation.
“The police pursued the criminals, who were escorting a stolen cargo of polyethylene, worth R$ 2 million, and which was recovered inside the old garage of a deactivated bus company, at the entrance of the community”, says the note.
The Civil Police also reported that during the confrontation, the police became aware of an appointment with public defenders in the Parque União community and “offered to remove the defender from the location, but she refused to get into the police vehicle”. No injuries were reported, according to the statement.
* Matter updated to include Civil Police positioning.
