Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, Chico Mendes, had just turned
44 years old on December 15, 1988, one week before being murdered. Born in the
Brazilian state of Acre, in the “seringal” (rubber tapper settlement)
called Porto Rico in Xapuri city, he started working as a rubber tapper when
still a child, following his father’s steps.
His life as a union leader began with the foundation of the Rural Workers Union
of Brasiléia, in 1975, when he was chosen to be the general secretary.
In 1976, he was actively engaged in the rubber tappers’ fight against
deforestation through a strategy of resistance called the "empate".
He also organized several actions to defend the people’s right to land
ownership. In 1977, he helped found the Rural Workers Union of Xapuri, and was
elected City councilman for the political party MDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement).
During this same year, Chico Mendes suffered the first death threats from the
local ranchers, at the same time that he began to face several problems within
his own political party, the MDB, which was not supportive of his struggles.
In 1979, Chico Mendes transformed the City Council into a great forum of debates
between union, popular and religious leaders, being for that accused of subversion
and submitted to hard interrogations. In December of the same year, Chico was
tortured in secret. Having no support, he was not able to denounce the fact.
With the appearance of the Workers Party, Chico became one of its founders and
leaders in Acre, participating in local assemblies together with Lula. Still
in 1980, Chico Mendes was framed within the National Security Law, at the request
of the local ranchers who attempted to involve him in the revenge murder, promoted
instead by forty landowners, of a rancher believed to be involved in Wilson
Pinheiro’s murder, the Brasiléia Workers Union’s president.
In the following year, Chico Mendes became the Xapuri Workers Union president,
and kept that position until the time of his death. In this same year, Chico
was accused of inciting landowners to violence. Being tried by the Military
Court of Manaus, he managed to avoid his preventive detention.
In the November 1982 elections, Chico Mendes ran for the seat of state congressman
of the Workers Party, the PT, loosing the election. Two years later he was tried
again, being acquitted by lack of evidence.
In October 1985, he lead the 1st Rubber Tappers National Meeting, when the Rubber
Tappers National Council (CNS) was created, becoming its main point of reference.
From then on, the rubber tappers struggle, under Chico Mendes's leadership,
gained national and international exposure, strengthened by the proposal of
the "Forest People Alliance”. This proposal aimed to unite the common
interests of the indigenous communities and the rubber tappers in preserving
the amazon forest as well as the creation of the extractive reserves in order
to protect the indigenous areas and the forest, and ensure, at the same time,
the rubber tappers’ agrarian reform. During the 2nd Rubber Tappers National
Meeting, scheduled on March 1989, Chico should assume the CNS presidency.
In 1987, United Nations members met Chico Mendes in Xapuri, where they witnessed
the extent of forest devastation and the expulsion of rubber tappers caused
by projects financed by international investments. Two months later, Chico Mendes
was bringing these accusations to the North American Senate and to one of the
financing banks meeting, the BID (Bank of Interamerican Development). After
thirty days, the financing to the devastative projects were suspended and Chico
was accused by local ranchers and politicians of hindering the " progress
" of the State of Acre. Months later, Chico Mendes began to receive several
national and international awards and acknowledgments, such as the Global 500
prize by the UN, for being one of the persons that most stood out on that year
in defense of the ecology.
During the year of 1988, Chico Mendes, who was being increasingly threatened
and attacked by organized groups stemming from the recently established UDR
(Rural “Democratic” Union) in Acre, expanded his struggle through
several areas of Brazil, by participating in seminars, lectures and congresses,
where he could denounce the predatory actions against the forest and the ranchers’
acts of violence against the Xapuri workers. On the other hand, Chico was responsible
for the accomplishment of a great dream: the implementation of the first extractive
reserve in the State of Acre, in addition to the expropriation of rancher Darli
Alves da Silva from the Seringal Cachoeira, in Xapuri.
From then on, the death threats became very serious, as Chico himself denounced
several times. He made it very clear to the police department and government
officials that his life was in danger and that he needed protection, to the
point of giving out the names of his probable murderers.
During the 3rd National Congress of CUT, Chico Mendes once more denounced this
situation, along with several other rural workers from different parts of the
country. The situation was the same everywhere; criminal violence was being
perpetrated by the UDR from north to south of Brazil. In this same Congress,
Chico Mendes defended the thesis presented by the Xapuri Union, "In Defense
of the Forest People", unanimously approved by the approximate 6 thousand
delegates present. At the end of the Congress, he was elected substitute of
the CUT national direction.
On December 22, 1988, Chico Mendes was murdered at his home’s door. Chico
was married with lIzamar Mendes and left two children, Sandino, 2 years old,
and Elenira, 4.
*Published in the "Chico Mendes" Magazine by
the Xapuri’s STR (Rural Workers Union), CNS (Rubber Tapper National Council)
and CUT (Workers National Union) on January of 1989
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