In a statement, Edgar Carvalho from the Zambujal Residents’ Association, located in the Amadora municipality where the young man shot by the PSP last year resided, explained that the event aims to raise awareness about issues affecting the community.
Edgar Carvalho explained that the initiative, starting at 3:00 PM, will include the unveiling of a mural in the neighborhood, concerts by local and amateur artists, the recording of a ‘mini-podcast’ with residents, and food stalls.
“It is an initiative to highlight the various problems the neighborhood faces. The way the police enter the neighborhood, the health issues, the housing problems. They remain unresolved, and we want to address these situations,” he justified.
The event will also feature public figures such as model Cláudio Gonçalves and Cape Verdean singer Dynamo.
Odair Moniz died in Cova da Moura, also in the Amadora municipality (Lisbon district), as a result of two shots fired by a PSP officer on October 21, 2024, during a police chase.
The PSP stated at the time that the man “fled” by car after seeing a police vehicle and “went off course” in Cova da Moura, where, upon being approached by officers, “he allegedly resisted arrest and attempted to attack them with a bladed weapon.”
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the 43-year-old Cape Verdean tried to evade the PSP and resist arrest, but there was no threat involving a bladed weapon, contradicting the official police statement.
The trial of the officer suspected of homicide was scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed to October 22 due to the health reasons of a lawyer.
The officer acknowledged during the first interrogation with the Judicial Police that he was not threatened with a bladed weapon, contrary to what was written in the incident report.
In the days following Odair’s death, riots broke out in Zambujal and other neighborhoods of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, with buses, cars, and trash bins being burned and vandalized, resulting in about twenty detainees and as many suspects identified. Seven people were injured, including one bus driver who was seriously injured.
The case highlighted the issues of structural and systemic racism, the living conditions in the neighborhoods, and the public policies implemented in these territories, as well as the relationship between security forces and communities and the conditions under which the police operate.
On October 26, 2024, thousands of people marched down Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon, responding to a demonstration called by the Just Life movement to honor the Cape Verdean citizen, denounce police violence, and proclaim that “without justice, there is no peace.”
Days later, the government summoned representative associations of Lisbon’s community areas “to dialogue” and hear their proposals to combat racism and police violence.
Without presenting concrete measures, the government promised support for housing, health, and education to improve the real-life conditions of residents in the neighborhoods.
