Teenagers denounce racism in a Fast Shop store at Shopping Pátio Higienópolis

The parents of a black teenager filed a police report with the complaint that their son, nephew and a friend were victims of racism in a Fast Shop store at Shopping Pátio Higienópolis, located in an upscale neighborhood of São Paulo.

Through his profile on Instagram, Djalma Campos, 51, father of one of the boys, said that his son and nephew had left the cinema on the afternoon of last Wednesday (20), when they decided to take a walk around the mall with a friend.

He says the three boys then entered the Fast Shop home appliance and electronics chain unit to look at a touch-screen refrigerator with internet access, which they had seen on a social network.

“And there, a problem began that every black man and woman, adult or child, has already faced in life: persecution because of racism,” Campos wrote.

In an interview with Sheet, he claims a store security guard followed the boys, who are 12 and 13, around the store. Filmed by Campos’ son, who questioned what was happening, he identified himself as a “department manager”.

The boys then left the store, as they felt uncomfortable, but later decided to go back. Campos’ son recorded the scene with the front camera of his cell phone, fearing retaliation for filming the employee.

“Next, bro: there’s a guy here, looking everywhere we go, so they’ll be watching (…) the guy comes after”, says one of the boys in the video.

Campos also says that the store manager said, in a call after the incident, that, in order not to lose customers, employees are advised to stay close to offer more information to consumers. According to the report, she also said she would look at the camera footage the next day to assess what had happened.

Djalma says he believes, however, that the store manager didn’t seem to understand what a racist approach could be.

“I’ve been through this situation a few hundred times in my life, but I don’t think I can admit it anymore. Not that before that, but the potential for dangerousness that a 12-year-old has for a mall store is zero. “

According to him, the nephew and the friend who was with his son study near the mall and usually have lunch there during school hours.

The content creator also wrote on his profile that Fast Shop asked his sister to call the next day (this Thursday) to detail the case, which they say was due to structural racism.

“In Brazil, racists are so comfortable with crime that they get a 24-hour deadline to formulate some ‘crisis containment’ action or a protocol response on the security’s attitude.”

Fast Shop states that it repudiates any discriminatory act

In a note, Fast Shop states that it repudiates any and all discriminatory acts and emphasizes that it has defined ethical values ​​and that it does not tolerate discrimination.

“The network also informs that its code of ethics establishes rules of conduct, in addition to being a company that actively promotes diversity in its actions, teams and environments.”

According to the company, an investigation was initiated to investigate what happened and, if any irregular or discriminatory attitude on the part of any employee is proven, all appropriate measures will be adopted.

Also in a note, Pátio Higienópolis states that it contacted the customer and the shopkeeper to investigate the facts as soon as it became aware of what had happened.

“The mall reiterates that it repudiates any act that denotes discrimination or any form of racism. The enterprise has established a strict code of ethics and conduct and promotes training and educational lectures for employees and shopkeepers.”

It is not the first time that the shopping center has been the scene of accusations of racism. In 2017, the Public Ministry launched an investigation to determine whether the mall had isolated racist practices or whether they occurred systematically.

That year, the mall made the news, after a security guard approached the (white) father of a black child and asked if the boy was bothering the customer. The employee apologized and said she was following directions.

In 2019, Pátio Higienópolis closed an agreement with entities of the black movement to comply with a series of measures related to the human rights of children living on the streets. The measure was a response to a controversy created by the enterprise itself, which was denied by the Justice a request for authorization to apprehend homeless children and adolescents within its premises.