Auto de Resistência: The Collective Action of Women Relatives of Victims of Police Violence in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Similar to other countries, such as Argentina and El Salvador, Brazil, and more specifically Rio de Janeiro, has witnessed the mobilization of relatives of victims of gun violence, mainly led by State law enforcement agents. These groups have conducted research, presented complaints, and closely monitored police inquiries and judicial procedures. Generally, mothers, sometimes sisters and wives, are the ones who start the journey on the path of justice in the hope of finding some meaning in what is left to them and in the effort, not always rewarded, to fight against impunity. The aim of this article is to map the challenges and opportunities that relatives of victims of gun violence face both individually and collectively in their struggle to overcoming grief and obtain justice and reparation. Through the analysis of a concrete experience— the development of a support program for relatives of victims of police-led massacres—this paper discusses the nature, the risks, the possibilities, and tensions of this type of collective action.