{"id":7832,"date":"2013-03-22T13:19:43","date_gmt":"2013-03-22T16:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=7832"},"modified":"2017-10-20T09:33:27","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T12:33:27","slug":"vila-autodromo-under-pressure-from-city-to-accept-resettlement-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=7832","title":{"rendered":"Vila Aut\u00f3dromo Under Pressure from City to Accept Resettlement Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here today because the Prefeitura<\/em> (City government) is putting psychological pressure [on the residents of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo],” explained Lucia Cerqueira, a representative of the Catholic Church community organizing group Pastoral de Favelas in Jacarepagu\u00e1. The Pastoral and others from a network that includes public defenders, housing rights organizations and journalists, responded to \u00a0an urgent request on Monday, March 4th to mobilize in light of the “battalion” of city employees who have been ceaselessly going door-to-door attempting to convince residents to sign up for the \u201cParque Carioca\u201d resettlement housing currently under construction.<\/p>\n

Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/a> is a community with a long history of resistance to arbitrary and unjust removal attempts, a struggle that brought about 99-year concession of use rights in 1994 from the State government. Now that the Olympic Park is going to be built nearby, the city government is hoping that glossy brochures will entice residents to move out. Although the City government characterizes the removal of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo as inevitable, Alexandre Mendes, a lawyer formerly in Rio\u2019s Public Defender\u2019s Office, explained that the community is \u201cjudicially secure\u201d and that residents have no obligation to accept the government resettlement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Canvassers tell residents they are simply there to perform a \u201csocial registry\u201d of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo in order to register family and property information. Residents however view this as an intimidation tactic, intended to coerce families into accepting the resettlement housing with a limited understanding of their legal rights. The tone of these visits\u2014which include personal questions and an intrusive survey of property\u2014is that if residents don\u2019t take advantage of this resettlement \u201copportunity,\u201d they risk losing everything. As one resident explained sardonically, \u201cit\u2019s good for you to leave, accept their game, or your house will be knocked down, your house will fall to the ground\u2026 accept their game or lose everything!\u201d<\/p>\n

For over a week, the Prefeitura sent dozens of city workers to Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, eagerly providing residents with the colorful pamphlets promoting the \u201cParque Carioca condominium,” scheduled for completion in February 2014. They were trailed on Monday March 4th by a vocal group of residents and supporters, who informed families of the right to remain in their homes, if they so chose, and urging them not to sign any contract without complete information.<\/p>\n

City employees refused to answer any questions about the purpose of their extended visit to the community. \u201cJust wait for the boss, Pedro Paulo, he will answer your questions.\u201d On Thursday, federal congressman Pedro Paulo, dubbed \u201cthe right arm\u201d of the deputy Mayor of Jacarepagu\u00e1, gruffly referred me to the communications department of the deputy Mayor. \u201cI am not allowed to say anything,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Verbal altercations arose in several instances, as Prefeitura coordinators grew increasingly frustrated by the impromptu community resistance that was hampering their work. Inalva, an outspoken resident and one of the directors of the Residents\u2019 Association, followed city workers to each door and cheerfully encouraged people to build more floors on their home, raise their kids, and disregard the city\u2019s propaganda. City officials started shouting and getting increasingly defensive – \u201cWe are just talking here!\u201d – and insisting on their own long-term relationships with residents – \u201cI\u2019ve known this man since I was young, isn\u2019t that true?\u201d<\/p>\n

Several minutes later, one of the city coordinators began insulting the consistently calm Inalva, ordering her to \u201cgo look for a tank to wash clothes!\u201d As the altercation became more aggressive and less coherent, the coordinator started screaming at community organizers, calling Inalva a crazy woman and trying to justify the City\u2019s presence there.<\/p>\n

Lucia of the Pastoral de Favelas, explained that the City often contracts unemployed people from other communities, not currently at risk of removal, in order to do the city\u2019s door-to-door work in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, a tactic that damages attempts at mass mobilization. \u201cIn other words, they use the poor against the poor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, residents expressed several concerns about the \u201cParque Carioca\u201d resettlement housing and the manipulative ways in which it is being advertised to the community. \u201cI am not a victim,\u201d exclaimed an elderly resident of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, referring to the patronizing manner in which the Prefeitura promotes the community\u2019s resettlement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cParque Carioca\u201d housing is being pitched to the community through pamphlets showing stylized and glamorous apartments. The Prefeitura also took coachloads of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo residents to see a fully furnished and decorated model housing unit\u2014\u201can apartment from a novela\u201d\u2014 one onlooker remarked.\u00a0In reality, Minha Casa, Minha Vida<\/a> housing units are small (40 square meters for 2 bedrooms), impose numerous artificial rules and additional expenses on residents, and are infamous for\u00a0poor construction and maintenance<\/a>, not to mention depriving residents of the qualities of the community-based lifestyle many enjoy and benefit from.<\/p>\n

Second, community organizers and lawyers are concerned about families signing a resettlement contract<\/a> without full understanding of the complicated clauses and restrictions. For example, residents are prohibited to sell, rent or lend the housing unit for ten years; and the home can be taken away within a few months if families default on payments. Alexandre Mendes, who is currently providing legal assistance to the community, explained that the City government \u201cdisseminates that the person is going to receive a house with a title, and that the person is going to be the owner of that house, but this is not the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, residents are concerned about the expensive costs of the \u201cParque Carioca\u201d condominiums. One resident, Tereza, estimates that the cost of amenities\u2014gas, light, water\u2014and condominium fees and maintenance\u2014pool, volleyball court, soccer field, social area\u2014could total around R$500-600 a month. Tereza alluded to an important contradiction in the process of resettlement: Those families in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo with more financial means and the ability to pay \u201cParque Carioca\u201d costs would prefer to stay in homes they have invested in for years; in contrast, those families with fewer financial means are considering accepting the housing option, but will likely be unable to afford the costs and will risk defaulting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Residents assert that the City wants the community to be relocated not because of the neighboring Olympic<\/a> construction, but rather as a \u201ctroca de favores\u201d (exchange of favors) between the Mayor and powerful real estate developers who will build luxury condominiums on the site as part of the “post-Games Legacy<\/a>“. Claudio Silva, a long-time resident and Physical Education teacher, explains solemnly that, to the developers, the continued presence of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo will devalue these investments. He argues that sport\u2014\u201csomething that Cariocas love!\u201d\u2014should not bring about so much pain for these families. \u201cWe are not against mega-events, we are not against national development. We want the Olympics to happen and Rio de Janeiro to receive a lot of tourists. But the people shouldn\u2019t suffer [so much] for this\u2026 We are paying such a high price for an event that lasts so few days,” he pressed.<\/p>\n

Over the next few weeks, public defenders and community organizers are planning\u00a0meetings and door-to-door visits in order to guarantee access to full information.\u00a0They want residents to understand their legal right to remain in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo
\nand ensure they are not pressured by colorful pamphlets, complicated legal contracts, or the physical presence of the Prefeitura in their homes.<\/p>\n

\"Casas<\/p>\n

Another goal of the Vila Aut\u00f3dromo advocates is to strengthen and advocate the community\u2019s alternative upgrading plan<\/a>, developed with planners and architects from Rio’s two best known universities and which shows that, at approximately a third of the cost of relocation, the community’s upgrading would save public funds and does not interfere with Olympic-related construction. With only 11 roads, most quite wide, large lots and generally well-built homes, the community’s upgrading is economical<\/a>. \u201cWe want to be part of the social legacy [of the Olympics],” Claudio explained as he and other residents called for development and investment in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, as opposed to neglect or coercion of legal rights. \u201cWe want respect from the City as Brazilian citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community organizers know that they have the law on their side and are working to keep communication channels open so that things don’t end in an intimidation game. Although it will be a long battle, it is one that residents have fought and won before.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dream is to stay here,\u201d said Tereza said with tears in her eyes. \u201cI want to live in Vila Autodromo until the end of my days.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas \u201cWe are here today because the Prefeitura (City government) is putting psychological pressure [on the residents of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo],” explained Lucia Cerqueira, a representative of the Catholic Church community organizing group […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":7872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1293,1736,336,1329],"tags":[2476,814,11,282,26,354,157,5,423,210,10,4,21],"writer":[1770],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7832","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-evictionswatch","8":"category-1736","9":"category-violations","10":"category-by-international-observers","11":"tag-concession-of-use","12":"tag-cooptation","13":"tag-forced-evictions","14":"tag-housing","15":"tag-housing-rights","16":"tag-law","17":"tag-minha-casa-minha-vida","18":"tag-olympics","19":"tag-psychological-terror","20":"tag-public-housing","21":"tag-real-estate-speculation","22":"tag-vila-autodromo","23":"tag-west-zone","24":"writer-kate-steiker-ginzberg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7832"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=7832"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=7832"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=7832"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=7832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}