A river of blood

PN #79

The Arns Commission expresses its dismay at the more than 100 deaths that resulted from the so-called "mega-operation" by police in the Complexos do Alemão and Penha neighborhoods on October 28 in Rio de Janeiro. We extend our solidarity to the families of the victims, four of whom were police officers on duty. We also mourn the injured and terrorized, who suffered trauma due to the unpreparedness of the authorities responsible for ensuring public safety.

We also express our indignation and repudiation. The succession of massacres carried out by armed troops in the poorest regions of the city of Rio has set successive records in the number of deaths. This lack of control demonstrates that the unacceptable has become the norm in the State's conduct, despite the right to life of Rio de Janeiro's citizens, especially of the most vulnerable.

It is inconceivable, as well as unbearable, for the city to be thrown into panic, fully justified, every time soldiers march through the alleys in order to supposedly fight militias or drug traffickers. How was it possible for a society to descend to such a point, where brute force is the only criterion and a state of emergency becomes the fatal rule?

The bottom line is that the state, in addition to no longer being able to provide public safety according to the best police practices, has become a promoter of insecurity, despair, and utter desolation.

Yesterday's excesses once again laid bare a painful truth: claiming to act to repress criminal gangs, the public forces, lacking operational intelligence guided by ethical sense, exacerbate crime itself.

The embarrassing statements by Governor Claudio Castro trying to shift responsibility to the federal government – soon disproved – only worsen the scenario. The federal government, states, and municipalities need to work together, or the catastrophe of public insecurity will never be overcome. For this to happen, a minimum of composure and seriousness is essential—and this has not been the hallmark of the Rio de Janeiro governor.

His disregard for life is shameful, given the suffering of his fellow citizens. This careless morbidity must be curbed immediately.

Enough inhumanity!

Enough cruelty!

Enough abuse of authority!

ARNS COMMISSION.