Police investigate alleged racism at Renner store in Salvador

The Civil Police of Bahia opened an investigation to investigate the approach of a security guard against a black woman, who was accused of stealing from a Renner store in the Bela Vista mall, in Salvador. The investigation of the 11th Territorial Police Station investigates the practice of a crime of racism against the client.

The case took place last Friday (20), but it became public days later, when images of the client began to circulate on social media. Fernanda Rodrigues dos Santos, 42, who reports having been a victim of racism, fractured her left foot after fainting in the store. She claims to have suffered a spike in high blood pressure.

In a statement, Renner informed that it investigated the incident immediately, in accordance with the protocols for reporting cases of discrimination, but that, after checking the images and analyzing the facts, it did not find evidence of the allegations reported in relation to alleged racism.

A receptionist at a laboratory in the Cabula neighborhood, close to the mall, Santos had gone to the mall to meet his sister, who was having lunch. After her sister returned to work, Santos was left alone in the shopping center.

After researching prices in two department stores, he says he went to Renner to compare values. “While I was looking at the pieces, the security guard approached a woman who had stolen perfumes. Shortly after, when I was leaving the store, he accused me of being her accomplice and ordered me to leave. [deixar o local]”, the client told the report.

According to her, around 2:30 pm, the security guard received a message on the radio and went to the area restricted to employees. “I went after him, but about 40 minutes went by without anyone showing up,” she says.

The client then called her sister, who came back from work to help her. Only after her sister arrived, she says, a store employee appeared to explain, but said she did not know where the security guard was.

“I couldn’t get out of there without cleaning my image, I was already shaking. While we were talking, I had a spike in pressure. I passed out with my face on the floor. In the fall, I fractured my foot”, he recalled. “I wasn’t even attended by the store, but by the brigadistas from the mall itself.”

In her opinion, the fact that she was a black woman was a factor in the approach, which was not the case with other customers who remained in the store after the suspected theft was approached. “I have no doubt. He [de pele clara] thought the black man in the store might steal.”

For the lawyer Marcos Alan Hora, who represents the receptionist, the situation characterizes the practice of a crime of racism, discrimination, in addition to slander, reasons for which the defense should seek the responsibility of the store and reparation to the receptionist. “What the store is trying to build is a false truth narrative about what happened. We hope that the police carry out the proper investigation.”

In a statement, Renner says that “it regrets the whole situation and reinforces to its customers and the general public its commitment to the promotion of racial equality. We practice these values ​​in our daily lives.”

The brand informs that it has a training agenda on ethnic-racial relations, working very closely with representative entities and initiatives, such as the Movement for Racial Equity (Mover) and the Instituto Identidades do Brasil (ID_BR).

“We have 32% of our leadership cadre made up of black people and the public goal of increasing this number to 50% by 2030. These actions reinforce our commitment to the fight against racism, as well as the respect and equity that we apply in all our activities. relationships”, says the company’s note.

The brand also communicated its willingness to collaborate with the authorities in the investigation.

Because of the foot fracture, confirmed by a medical examination the day after the fact, Santos will have to be off work for 14 days. “I’ve never been in a situation like this. We are very shaken, my 13-year-old daughter and I.”