Black, Queer Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Assassinated

Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Marielle Franco was assassinated yesterday after having just attended a human rights event. She was only 38 years old.

Ms Franco was a Black feminist, lesbian, socialist, and one of the country’s most outspoken critics of police violence in Black communities. Per Marielle’s friend Marcelo Freixo, who is also a Rio elected official, “all of the shots were directed at her. They were all from a professional.” Indeed, the AP reports that it was a targeted attack.

Marielle’s death comes on the heels of a move by Brazil’s reactionary President Michel Temer to place security in the City of Rio under the military’s control.

According to The Guardian, this January saw 154 persons killed as a result of police action in Rio de Janeiro alone, a 57% increase from the previous year. AP reports that Rio’s police force killed 925 citizens in 2016 and over 1,000 in 2017, making it one of the world’s deadliest police forces (https://apnews.com/04bc31349e4847409435d74ba13bbb19).

Notably, Marielle’s tweeted about the death of a Black male by gun violence the day before she herself fell victim to it. Her tweet reads, “One more young person killed that might be added to the list of military police victims. Matheus Melo was walking out of church. How many more people need to die before this war ends?"

Please share Marielle’s story and use the hashtags #MariellePresente and #BlackLivesMatter to honor her.

Please also stay tuned to Indybay for updates on protests in the Bay Area to honor Marielle!