Store guards beating black man to death costs Carrefour in Brazil US$22 million

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In an effort to put an end to all lawsuits related to the implementation and execution of anti-racist and racial diversity measures, Carrefour settled with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and others to pay R$115 (US$22) million for the murder of João Alberto in a supermarket store in Porto Alegre (RS) in November 2020.

At the time, the victim, a black man, was killed by two store security guards on the eve of Black Awareness Day. The crime sparked national indignation and a reaction of repudiation among legal professionals in Brazil.

The case also prompted an inquiry to investigate structural racism in private security, as well as a bill criminalizing the behavior of a public agent or private security professional based on discrimination or prejudice of any kind – currently awaiting a decision by the Chamber of Deputies’ Human Rights and Minorities Committee.

Six people were indicted and charged with aggravated murder. In this context, Carrefour agreed to pay R$115 million, in an settlement reached with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the Rio Grande do Sul Prosecutor’s Office, the Labor Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office and the Rio Grande do Sul Public Defender’s Office.

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(1697) Morte no Carrefour: homem negro é espancado e morto por seguranças em Porto Alegre – YouTube

The total amount will be allocated to measures to fight racism, established in the settlement agreement’s 7 clauses. Among them is the anti-racist plan, including the reinforcement and expansion of its anti-racism, discrimination, and violence policies, as well as the promotion of human rights in all its establishments in Brazil.

Prosecutor General Augusto Aras praised the relevance of the interinstitutional role of State bodies in the development of the conduct adjustment term.

“The powers vested in the Brazilian Prosecutor’s Office will be preserved whenever faced with such undesirable circumstances that lead some people to try to undermine our democracy and the rule of law that safeguards it through fundamental rights and guarantees,” he said.

According to public prosecutor Marco Antônio Delfino de Almeida, auxiliary member of the National Council of the Prosecutor’s Office Committee for the Defense of Fundamental Rights, the agreement involved the hearing of black movement representatives and the drafting and negotiation of the agreement’s clauses.

“There are three outstanding aspects, in addition to the million-dollar amount: the joint institutional role (MPF, MPE, MPT, DPU, and DPE), the definition of the role of companies and the State in the fight against racism, and the key role of education in this process. It is also worthy of note the quota policy at the University, in undergraduate and post-graduate courses,” he explained.

Prosecutor Lívia Vaz points out that the commitment signed is a milestone in the accountability of private institutions in the fight against racism. “The interinstitutional coordination with social movements demonstrates the importance of the union of efforts for the progress of effective human rights protection in Brazil,” she said.