Racism and the history of Brazil

A case study on the practice of racism linked to the exercise of police power

Abstract

This article aims to deal with the practice of racism linked to the exercise of Police Power, through a case study, investigating whether the actions practiced by police officers in Case G. may be based on discriminatory ideals of a racista nature. This case concerns the complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office against three highway police officers for torture, abuse of authority and aggravated homicide. To achieve the proposed objective, the hypothetical deductive approach method was used, with a considerable focus on bibliographic analysis, with recurrent support in legislation and in books and journals that address the subject in question. Thus, Brazilian history and the contours that formed the current racist social imaginary were explored, as well as the possible relationship between police violence and racism. As demonstrated throughout the work, Brazil faces obstacles to effective efforts against racism, which requires a coordinated movement of the most diverse sectors of society, in order to prevent situations such as those observed in Case G. from continuing to occur with such frequency and correctly punishing the perpetrators.