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Let's Stop Vigilante Attacks in Brazil

By Rene Silva

Vigilante justice is endemic in the country. It’s up to all of us – particularly those of us in the media – to change this.

The images, spread over social media, were shocking: Two men caught a teenager whom they suspected of trying to steal a bicycle. As punishment, they tattooed the phrase “I am a thief and a moron” on his forehead. The act was recorded with the tattoo artist’s cell phone camera, and went viral.

This happened in São Bernardo do Campo, in the interior of São Paulo, on June 9, but it could be anywhere, at any time. Brazil suffers from...

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