By: Luís Nova
[email protected]
Business owners and residents feel insecure in Asa Norte. Homeless people approach, invade and create terror in businesses on 215 Norte. According to the Department of Social Development (Sedes), in DF there are almost 3 thousand homeless people spread across the capital.
Businessman Felipe Nogueira reports that it is common to see homeless people intimidating customers and their employees, fighting among themselves and defines the situation on the block as difficult.
“It’s bad here, there aren’t many robberies, but they approach anyone who arrives, intimidate customers, enter the store without any shame. Last week there was a big commotion in front of the pharmacy.”
Felipe Nogueira
According to the businessman, the situation is so complicated that he avoids bringing his daughter and wife to shops and the fear also reaches residential blocks.
“The situation here at the end of Asa Norte is ugly, it’s very dangerous”, he highlights.
The report from the Brasilia newspaper He spent two hours walking around the commercial block and witnessed several threats to customers on the block. In front of block C of 215 Norte, a homeless man lying on the awning of a drugstore threatened a customer. “I’m asking here, am I going to have to steal to get it?” shouted the man who then lay down on the sidewalk.
Another common practice on the court, which has a market, is ordering basic food baskets from customers. According to a businessman, who preferred to remain anonymous, they get the food and try to sell it at half price to buy legal and illegal drugs. “They offered me a basic food basket for 15 reais,” he says.
The attendant Maria, who preferred not to identify herself for fear of reprisal, is 20 years old and has worked in the store since 2023. According to the employee, there are always fights between the homeless. “Last week a girl came out with a face full of blood after a fight between them. Everyone is afraid here, if we say something, they will attack”, reveals the employee.
The Secretariat of Social Development (Sedes) informed, in a note, that in the latest survey by the Federal District Research and Statistics Institute (IPEDF) 2,938 homeless residents were identified. The ministry also states that it does not carry out compulsory removal and has a complete reception structure, in case the homeless person wants to leave the sidewalks of the Federal District.
“The role of the Department of Social Development is to enable this population’s access to the social protection network. Sedes serves the entire Federal District, including Asa Norte, through Social Approach teams that monitor and enable this population’s access to social assistance benefits and public services in Social Assistance and other areas, such as health and education. Among these services is the provision of institutional care, when requested by the homeless person”, explains Sedes.
The Security Secretariat of the Federal District (SSP-DF) reported that the crimes of robbing passers-by decreased by 69% this quarter, there were 13 cases in 2024 compared to 42 in 2023. The crimes of robberies in commerce increased by 33%, between January and February this year. He also highlighted that the Military Police are available to the population at number 190.
The folder highlights the importance of recording incidents for all types of crimes. It is with these records that the SSP is able to map crime and rearrange policing. “Records of occurrences by the population to support the preparation of studies and criminal stains that indicate days, times and places of highest incidence of each crime, among other information relevant to the investigation process. These surveys are used in the development of strategies for the overt policing of the Military Police, as well as for the identification and disarticulation of possible specialized groups by the DF Civil Police (PCDF)”, concludes the folder.
