In 1993, a tragic event unfolded when police took the lives of eight young individuals who were sleeping outside a church, an incident that would be remembered as the Candelária massacre.

For certain residents of Rio de Janeiro, the most important cross associated with the city’s renowned church, Nossa Senhora da Candelária, is not found on the altar or perched atop the magnificent baroque structure erected in 1775, but rather outside its walls.

A wooden cross, standing approximately 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall, is positioned in front of the Candelária church, adorned with eight plaques inscribed with names.

This marks the fifth cross positioned in the same location, following the destruction of the previous four. “They’ve set them on fire, torn its arms off,” stated Patrícia de Oliveira, 50, a leader of the group Candelária Never Again, which has consistently rebuilt the crosses after each act of vandalism.

Even with the presence of surveillance cameras, accountability remains elusive for those responsible for vandalizing the tribute to the victims of one of Brazil’s most tragic instances of police violence.

“The authorities and citizens of Rio justified the massacre as a necessary measure to ‘clean’ society of those deemed undesirable,” she stated.

Three decades later, the tragic events have inspired a new Netflix series titled Children of the Church Steps.

This gripping four-episode series delves into the lives of four children and adolescents during the intense 36 hours preceding the tragic massacre. The characters draw inspiration from the poignant stories shared by the families of victims and survivors, including Erica Nunes, 42, who was just 10 years old at the time.

“On the day it occurred, I visited the Metropolitan Cathedral [another church in central Rio, 1.6km away] to grab a meal since they were distributing food there. “When I returned, everyone was gone,” Nunes recounted, the inspiration behind the character Pipoca (Popcorn), portrayed by the talented nine-year-old Wendy Queiroz.

Prior to the tragic events, Nunes resided in the Maré favela of Rio. “My mother went to São Paulo for work, leaving me in the care of my grandmother and an uncle, who was quite harsh with me,” she remembered. “That’s the reason I chose to escape and live on the streets.” Nunes noted, “During that period, the majority of street kids found their way to Candelária,” as he shared about his newly launched social project aimed at training young individuals to become barbers.

During the tragic event, numerous children – estimates vary between 40 and 70 – were resting outside the church. The murder was reportedly an act of revenge for a stone thrown at a police vehicle that day; however, there are those who suspect that local shopkeepers orchestrated the killings, believing that street children were detrimental to their business interests.

Four individuals were taken into custody as suspects, but just as they were set to face trial in 1996, a police officer stepped forward to admit his involvement in the crime and revealed the identities of his true accomplices. One has passed away, while three have faced conviction, yet today they all walk free.

“I was a teenager when the massacre occurred,” shared series creator Luis Lomenha, who directed it in collaboration with Márcia Faria. “The sight of those black bodies on the ground left a profound impact on me.” “They were children who resembled me [all of them were Black, just like Lomenha] in a state of utter vulnerability,” he stated.

Lomenha chose to narrate the tale through the eyes of the victims, aiming to reclaim the childhood and humanity that were unjustly stripped away from these children. As the series unfolds, the characters find themselves in a deep slumber, lost in their dreams, when suddenly, the police burst in and chaos ensues with gunfire.

However, the director claims that the police aren’t the only ones at fault. “It’s simpler to point fingers at them since Brazil’s police forces predominantly consist of impoverished Black men, yet they operate under a repressive white agenda that drives them to commit these crimes as a means of survival,” he stated.

Rio’s police have become infamous as one of the most brutal forces globally, accountable for the deaths of thousands of young Brazilians in recent years, with a significant majority being Black individuals.

Luiz Eduardo Soares, an anthropologist and former national security chief, asserts that the military police force in Rio today carries forward “a 200-year legacy of behavior and values rooted in its beginnings of pursuing enslaved individuals and safeguarding the elite.”

In the wake of the Candelária massacre, Soares remains unconvinced that any meaningful shifts have occurred in the mindset, structure, or training of the police to avert a repeat of such a tragedy.

Massacres by law enforcement agents continue to plague Rio, showing no signs of abating. Shortly after the events in Candelária, law enforcement took the lives of 21 individuals in Vigário Geral, located in Rio’s North Zone. In 2021, a tragic incident unfolded in the Jacarezinho favela, resulting in the loss of 28 lives during a police operation.

Wagner dos Santos, Oliveira’s brother, emerged as a vital survivor of the Candelária massacre, enduring four gunshot wounds. His testimony played a key role in ensuring the convictions of the perpetrators. A year following the shooting, he became a target once more and has resided overseas ever since.

Oliveira, now a dedicated advocate for victims of state violence, highlighted that the societal attitudes that allowed these killings to occur remain unchanged. She frequently encounters social media comments from individuals demanding a “new Candelária massacre.”

“With each passing day, we edge closer to a repeat of such tragedies, as society and those in power hold the belief that when police enter a favela and take lives, they are justified, operating under the notion that ‘the only good criminal is a dead one,’” she stated.