Last Sunday (28/09) the 4th Santo André LGBT Pride Parade took place, but what was supposed to be a day of festivities became a stage for confusion and disagreement between the organizers and the São Paulo Military Police.
The confusion began when the police demanded a license for the Parade's main car. The organizers, however, were caught by surprise and did not have the required document. According to Marcelo Gil, director of the NGO ABCDS, responsible for the demonstration, these papers had never been required. "We had the documents, but we didn't take it", explains Marcelo. The director still believes it is retaliation on the part of Captain Telmo, "he has been persecuting us since we reported the transvestite case in January". The NGO reported abuse of authority by the Santo André PM to the media, the group in question was under the command of the captain appointed by Marcelo Gil.
In an interview with the newspaper Diário do Grande ABC, captain Telmo said that the two cars did not have the Vehicle Capacity Certificate and the NGO car, which would take the guests, did not have a tachograph, which measures speed. Therefore, it was prevented from circulating. The captain also told the newspaper that he will file a request with the Public Ministry to "not allow the Parade to take place next year."
Dimitri Salles, from the Citizenship Advice and Defense Office (a State government body), in conversation with the report from The Cape he refuted the captain's statements and said that he finds it "very strange" for him to make a statement like that. Firstly because the Parade "is an autonomous event and does not depend on authorization from the Public Ministry". “These are words thrown in the wind”, analyzes the lawyer. Regarding the holding of the next demonstration, he says that he has already started to put together a "plan to support the 2009 parades" and the one in Santo André will count on the organization.
Regarding the disagreement between the Parade organizers and the PM, Dimitri clarifies some points. "The police claimed documents that they did not ask for before, but, even if they had not claimed them in other years, they should have had them on hand." Regarding the Parade itself, he says that "despite these things happening, it was clear that the Santo André parade grew, it was very good and had a lot of positive energy". Dimitri also revealed that he has already spoken with Marcelo Gil and that together they will map the problems so that they no longer occur.
