Last Monday (14), hundreds of Senegalese immigrants and Brazilian supporters gathered…

Overview

Last Monday (14), hundreds of Senegalese immigrants and Brazilian supporters gathered in the center of São Paulo to protest the death of Ngagne Mbaye, a Senegalese street vendor murdered by military police on Friday (11) during an attack in Brás. The protesters, dressed in t-shirts printed with Mbaye's face, repudiated the police action and once again denounced the recurrent violence against African immigrants in the city. The street vendors, both Brazilians and immigrants, had previously denounced the violent actions of the police during inspections. These complaints, however, did not generate effective responses from public authorities. The murder of Ngagne Mbaye, a Senegalese immigrant and street vendor, during a police raid in Brás, highlights the structural vulnerability to which African immigrants are subjected in the country. The case reveals a worrying pattern: the use of lethal force, in a context of informality and the absence of adequate public policies for street vendors, raises serious questions about the abuse of authority, racial selectivity in the application of the law and the State's failure to assurance basic rights to immigrants. It is essential that this case is treated with due respect, raising the need for an urgent review of the public security system, institutional accountability, in addition to the implementation of effective public policies to regulate street vendors and protect the immigrant population.