‘What if they were black?’: experts discuss the case of mother and daughter living in McDonald’s | Rio de Janeiro

Susane and Bruna have been living at MCDonald’s in Leblon for three monthsPedro Ivo / Agência O Dia

Published 04/26/2024 18:24

Rio – The case of the mother and daughter who have been ‘living’ for three months at McDonald’s in Leblon, in the South Zone of Rio, has had a lot of repercussions on social media. In addition to the curiosity about the lives of the two women, who are always in good condition and tidy clothes, a context that deviates from the stereotype of people living on the streets, internet users have been discussing the proportion that the case has taken, and asking whether the direction would be different if the protagonists of this story were black and poor.

Check out some comments:

In an exclusive interview with DAY, last Thursday (25), one of those involved in the story questioned the repercussions and mentioned her skin color and social status. “If I had been a person with dark skin, if I had been a person with little clothing, with little suitcase, I wouldn’t have aroused curiosity. If I hadn’t been blonde and attractive I wouldn’t have aroused curiosity”, said Bruna Muratori Geremia, 31 years old, daughter of Susane Paula Muratoni Geremia, 64 years old, who is also ‘living’ in McDonalds.

O DAY asked for help from a psychoanalyst to analyze why this story arouses so much curiosity in people. For Artur Costa, psychoanalyst and professor at the Brazilian Association of Clinical Psychoanalysis (ABPC), this story gained notoriety for two main reasons: the fact that mother and daughter were living in a large international fast food chain and also because of the issue of five large suitcases. and to be a family home.

The psychoanalyst also analyzes that if they were of another color or region, for example, the repercussion could be different. “An important social issue to think about this topic is why have they been living in this well-known fast food store for so long? Why has this situation been tolerated? Is it because of color, race, region, country, the way they present themselves there, it is possible that in this structural racism that we have today if they were from another region of the country or even were of another color or presented themselves in another way”, details the president of ABPC.

Artur Costa also mentions the importance of talking about Bruna and Suzane’s emotional health. According to him, the emotional health of homeless people, which is what it seems, is something that the public authorities really need to guide, as they are offered various social programs such as some shelters and they rejected them, which proof that their emotional health is largely affected.

Lawyer Cátia Vita, a specialist in Consumer Law, was on Thursday (25) at the McDonald’s where Susane and Bruna have been living for three months. She says she received a wave of attacks on social media after a video of her trying to talk to women went viral. In the comments, people asked her if she would be there if the women were black.

Cátia Vita explains that she was at the establishment at the invitation of a television station to give an interview about the case, but that upon entering the unit, one of the military police officers accompanying the movement asked if she could offer some type of help to the women.

Cátia Vita approached Bruna, who greeted her harshly. “She asked me to leave, started screaming, called the police. She [Bruna] She is very rude, harsh and clearly does not want any type of contact. She told me to leave the place as if the establishment were hers. But at no point did Bruna use bad words, she even has a vast vocabulary”, analyzed Cátia.

Mother and daughter are aware of their rights, say experts

For Cátia Vita, Bruna and Susane know very well what their rights are. “They know all their rights and deny any type of help. They buy daily, therefore, they are consumers of the place. In the law there is no such rule of staying inside the establishment. As it is a private company, it can define rules, but There is nothing fixed, that’s why it has lasted until today and reached where it is, in this unusual case”, explains the specialist.

Lawyer Giovanna Maia, a specialist in Consumer Protection, also highlights that, in this case, the two women are responsible for paying the amounts duly. The expert also notes that at the slightest sign of possible “turmoil” in the area, mother and daughter try to disperse the population.

“There is not even any report of any encouragement to riot or crowding of people/onlookers carried out by women. In fact, in interviews, it is possible to see that they quickly dismiss anyone who tries to contact or offers help. Therefore, neither could the establishment say that their presence causes great turmoil and makes your routine commercial activity unfeasible, or causes any harm to your brand”, observes Giovanna Maia.

According to the Consumer Protection Code, prohibiting someone from entering an establishment is an abusive practice, subject to various sanctions, both administratively, civilly and even criminally. Lawyer Giovanna recalls that the Constitution advocates the principle of human dignity and non-discrimination. “Commercial establishments cannot prevent the entry or stay of consumers who are not distorting the purpose of the place, under penalty of incurring a crime of discrimination and also being civilly liable for the practice, with the obligation to compensate the injured customer”, she says.

To resolve the situation, both experts say that the company could change the location’s stay policy. “The table time limit policy is widely used by bars and restaurants that have a large waiting list or interested parties, but there is no limitation on the application of the policy in a fast food franchise”, says Giovanna Maia.

Specialist Cátia Vita also warns of a possible “herd effect”. “A herd effect can happen, yes, after all, many people are on the street, which brings much greater discomfort. This can trigger other people to start this process, knowing that there is no specific legislation”, concludes Cátia.