GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday March 20, 2014
5
Police car death shocks Brazil, says President Rousseff
up in the early hours of the morning to go to work in a Rio hospital,” wrote Ms Rousseff in her Twitter account.
(BBC News) BRAZILIANPresident Dilma Rousseff has offered her condolences and said the nation was “shocked” after a woman died when dragged by a police car along one of Rio de Janeiro’s busiest roads. Mother-of-four Claudia da Silva Ferreira, 38, had been hurt in a shoot-out in the shanty-town where she lived. Policemen threw her into their patrol car’s boot, which opened by accident when it drove off. Relatives said Ms Ferreira had been “treated like a criminal”. She was dragged for more than 300 metres (1,000ft) before the car stopped at a red light. Two policemen then got out of the car, put Ms Ferreira back in the boot and drove to a nearby hospital, where she died. Footage of the incident, which happened on Sunday morning in the Madureira neighbourhood, was shown on Brazilian television. “The death of Claudia has shocked the nation. Claudia da Silva Ferreira had four children, was married and used to wake
Rio de Janeiro police have occupied many of the city’s notorious favelas in the past few years as part of efforts to reduce drug-related violence ahead of this year’s football World Cup and the 2016 OlympicsRio de Janeiro police have occupied many of the city’s notorious favelas in the past few years as part of efforts to reduce drug-related violence ahead of this year’s football World Cup and the 2016 Olympics
10 girls suspended (Trinidad Guardian) TEN female students of the Mucurapo West Secondary School have been suspended for one week for their involvement in a fight outside the school last Friday. This was confirmed Tuesday by the Education Ministry, which said a full investigation had been launched. A ministry official said the probe would entail taking statements from the students involved and witnesses. A final report will then be submitted to Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh, who is currently in Dubai. The victim of the attack, however, has been targeted by other students for over two years and complaints to school authorities did little to curb the attacks, her mother told the media . The fight, which was captured via a cellphone and was posted on various social media sites, including Facebook, has gone viral. It showed a gang of about 12 students beating a particular girl, who was shoved to the ground, kicked and cuffed during a brawl witnessed by several other students and passers-by. At one point, it appeared there was an attempt to drag the girl by the hair, which was cheered on by other students. The three-and-a-half
minute video also showed the students going through heavy traffic in pursuit of their target and a man who identified himself as a police officer who eventually intervened to stop the fight. As he was parting the fight and taking away one of the attackers, however, he was repeatedly cursed by the other girls. Some people posted shocked reactions on Facebook, while others said that was nothing new as bullying and beatings were considered the norm in public schools. However, the victim’s
mother, in a television interview, said that was not the first time her daughter had been attacked. She said her child had been a victim of bullying for over two years and the perpetrators were often suspended but continued their attacks when they returned to school. She said her daughter was threatened earlier on Friday and reported it to the principal but that still did not prevent the girls from attacking her after school. They have since reported the mater to the ministry and the police. President of the T&T
Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) Devanand Sinanan yesterday said it represented a much larger social problem which needed immediate attention. He said for far too long teachers and principals have been “crying out in the wilderness” and begging for social workers who would extend their services to the homes of
troubled students. “Teachers have to deal with bullying and violence on a daily basis. In many instances when we investigate, the problem stems from the home and nine out of ten times we do not get the support from the parents,” Sinanan said. He said TTUTA has been having ongoing discussion with chairman of the Police Service Commission, Prof Ramesh Deosaran, to determine how best to tackle the problem.
‘Repulsive’ Three policemen have been arrested, accused of acting inhumanely and ignoring calls from residents to stop the vehicle. Relatives said that Ms Ferreira was treated with brutality probably because police suspected she was involved with the local drug gangs. “They thought she was a criminal and that is why they took her away. It wasn’t to save her life,” her daughter, Tais Lima, told O Globo newspaper. “They grabbed my mother by the legs and dumped her in the boot like an animal. They didn’t even bother to check if the boot was properly closed. That is not the attitude of someone who is trying to help,” she added. The governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Sergio Cabral, described the attitude of the policemen as “repulsive”. “They acted inhumanely. The least that should happen to them is being expelled from the police force,” said Mr Cabral. In a statement, the Rio de Janeiro police command said that policemen “exchanged fire with criminals during an operation at the Morro da Congonha community and found a woman who had been injured”. “She was taken to the Carlos Chagas hospital, but did not survive,” the note read.