Fatal arrest shocks Brazil: black man suffocated in the trunk of police car
Medication schizophrenia
According to the man’s family, things were different. Cousin Wallison de Jesus, who was there, told the British newspaper The Guardian that his uncle was riding a motorcycle and was asked to pull up his shirt. His uncle is said to have become nervous when the officers discovered his medication for schizophrenia.
Wallison would have warned the police that the medication was intended for that purpose, “but then the abuse already started.”
Others also tell the story of the abuse. “They are going to kill him,” can be heard in the video, which is widely shared online.
The officers then took Genivaldo de Jesus Santos to the station, and then to the hospital when it was clear that he was unconscious. There he appeared to have died.
80 percent of victims of police brutality are black
In Brazil, the man’s death is now being spoken of in horror. According to many, it is a crime, and also ‘an act of racism’. In Brazil, police brutality is the order of the day and often affects black people.
The Guardian found that at least 6416 people died in 2020 as a result of police brutality, 80 percent of the cases involved black people.
Renata Souza, a black activist in Brazil and also a politician, has reacted furiously: “Another black body executed by the state. This is unacceptable. Where is the democracy for the black people of this country?”
There was also a protest at Santos’ funeral. Car tires were set on fire there.
The Brazilian police say they have launched an investigation into the actions of the officers and the circumstances surrounding Santos
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’ death.