Quem tem medo do jovem negro? práticas discursivas e racismo na PMERJ no caso da “Operação verão”

Abstract

The dissertation investigates discursive practices and institutional racism in the context of public security in Rio de Janeiro, focusing on the 2023/2024 edition of Operação Verão, conducted jointly by the State Government and the City of Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of the Military Police (PMERJ). From a critical perspective, the research explores the discursive construction of the "internal enemy" and the criminalization of Black youth, perpetuating racialized stereotypes that legitimize police violence. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examines how racism, as a structural social marker, shapes police practices, highlighting a racial bias in the selection of suspects and the repression of Black youth on the beaches of the South Zone. It uncovers power dynamics and racial strategies behind these approaches. Furthermore, it investigates how these discourses are reproduced in the media and collective imagination, reinforcing a narrative that links Black bodies to criminality and "imminent danger." Through critical analysis, the dissertation sheds light on the role of public security in the reproduction of a social control project guided by race and class markers, offering reflections on resistance practices and social transformation.