Gentrification by greedy developers and corrupt local officials isn't just a problem in Hackney...
'PRESTES MAIA MUST STAY' - squatter, social centres and samba solidarity demo, Thursday 16th Feb 1pm outside Brazilian Embassy, 32 Green St, London, W1 (bring drums, carnival costumes and cardboard boxes to erect shanty town)
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=brazilian+embassy&near=London,+UK&radius=0.0&cid=51500197,-126197,5716811906749722123&li=lmd&z=14&t=m
'PRESTES MAIA MUST STAY' - squatter, social centres and samba solidarity demo, Thursday 16th Feb 1pm outside Brazilian Embassy, 32 Green St, London, W1 (bring drums, carnival costumes and cardboard boxes to erect shanty town)
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=brazilian+embassy&near=London,+UK&radius=0.0&cid=51500197,-126197,5716811906749722123&li=lmd&z=14&t=m
'Prestes Maia' is a massive squat in downtown São Paulo which houses 468 families, a library, workshops, educational, social and cultural activities and it's due to be evicted any day. London's social centres have had a long history of association with south american solidarity campaigns from Columbia to Argentina and so when we saw the indymedia story about the imminent eviction of 1,600 people from this huge squatted tower block we wondered if we could pull together some kind of solidarity demo in London this week.
The obvious thing to do would be to visit the Brazilian embassy with a bunch of squatters and the samba band, make noise, and generally express our solidarity for the squatters and our distaste for the authorities heartless gentrification schemes. There may well be other actions possible and it would be great to discuss them with anyone with ideas.
There is little time to act, the eviction is expected between the Wed 15th and 21st of February. We discussed this at the rampART meeting on Monday evening and decided to call a demo for thursday at 1pm.
Between the social centres network, wombles and rampart mailing lists, along with the new Squatter Information Network and the ASS, it should be possible to mobilize a reasonable little crowd this week. I imagine that groups such as the Hands off Venezuela (who have a demo on wednesday) and the Bolivian Solidarity group might also forward a call to action.
PRESTES MAIA MUST STAY'
# So, thats Thursday 16th
#
# 1pm outside the Brazilian Embassy
#
# It's near Marble Arch Station - 32 Green St, London,
#
# bring banners, drums, carnival costumes and
# cardboard boxes to erect shanty town
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=brazilian+embassy&near=London,+UK&radius=0.0&cid=51500197,-126197,5716811906749722123&li=lmd&z=14&t=m
This is the article from indymedia.org
South America's largest squatted highrise building is under threat.
The "Prestes Maia", by far the largest squatted highrise building on the South American continent, is under threat of eviction. With its 468 families, accounting for more than 1600 previously homeless people, including children, elderly and disabled, the building will shortly be returned to its 'lawful' owner, Mr. Hamuche & Co., who in the last 15 years of 'ownership' accumulated a debt in municipal taxes of some 5 million reais (approx. 2.2 million dollars / 2.1 million euros), which is more than the building is worth. This enormous debt, together with long years of abandonment, should well justify (even according to law) a claim for the building to become public property by the local municipality, but nevertheless will be returned to its owner, putting hundreds of people back onto the streets.
The 468 families, united in the Downtown Roofless Movement (Movimento Sem Teto do Centro or MSTC) of São Paulo, have lived in the 22-storey highrise since 2002. The building had simply been closed down for years and left in deplorable condition, serving as shelter for rats and cockroaches, as is the case of many buildings in downtown São Paulo. The new residents cleaned out tonnes of rubbish and litter (200 trucks to be exact!), organized it, expelled drugs and other criminal bosses always there to take advantage, turning it into an exciting and lively human dwelling.
Last January 27th, the family's representatives met with the police authorities in charge of the forthcoming eviction. During the meeting, it was made clear that the action will take place somewhere between the 15th and 21st of February -- an exact date was not given for 'strategic' reasons – and that the troops will be 'prepared for the worst'. Yesterday, february 7th, the residents of Prestes Maia’s building block the street in front of the occupation. They stayed there for almost 2 hours. This act was an attempt to bring more attention to the situation of the residents and to the possible eviction, scheduled to take place next week.
The families were advised to leave the precinct before the eviction to avoid unpleasant encounters, and when they asked where they were supposed to go, the answer was: 'to the streets or elsewhere'.
This is the way the city government has acted during countless evictions since Mr. José Serra took office as major of the largest Brazilian city, in the beginning of 2005. His project to 'gentrify' the city centre, largely paid for by international funds, based on expelling the low-earning families and street dwellers, counts on the systematic employment of the municipal (Guarda Civil Metropolitana) and state (Polícia Militar) police forces.
This clearly shows the municipal and state authorities' attitude towards the 'poor' and their movements: first criminalise them and then fight and persecute them, without mercy, expelling them to the sub-urban 'favelas' or at the most to 'social housing projects', mostly even further out.
The 'Prestes Maia' squat -- with its library, its workshops, its educational, social and cultural activities -- in the last years turned into a major laboratory of experiments in organizing a real human renewal of downtown São Paulo. People of all ages and upbringings, of all Brazilian states and other nationalities, artists, students, work together to create a new understanding of how the city should and can work. Putting all these people back onto the streets, 'pulverizing' them, is a maior crime! Support 'Prestes Maia'!
Read more here->  http://www.indymedia.org/en/2006/02/833052.shtml
Petition->  http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2006/02/344971.shtml
The obvious thing to do would be to visit the Brazilian embassy with a bunch of squatters and the samba band, make noise, and generally express our solidarity for the squatters and our distaste for the authorities heartless gentrification schemes. There may well be other actions possible and it would be great to discuss them with anyone with ideas.
There is little time to act, the eviction is expected between the Wed 15th and 21st of February. We discussed this at the rampART meeting on Monday evening and decided to call a demo for thursday at 1pm.
Between the social centres network, wombles and rampart mailing lists, along with the new Squatter Information Network and the ASS, it should be possible to mobilize a reasonable little crowd this week. I imagine that groups such as the Hands off Venezuela (who have a demo on wednesday) and the Bolivian Solidarity group might also forward a call to action.
PRESTES MAIA MUST STAY'
# So, thats Thursday 16th
#
# 1pm outside the Brazilian Embassy
#
# It's near Marble Arch Station - 32 Green St, London,
#
# bring banners, drums, carnival costumes and
# cardboard boxes to erect shanty town
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=brazilian+embassy&near=London,+UK&radius=0.0&cid=51500197,-126197,5716811906749722123&li=lmd&z=14&t=m This is the article from indymedia.org
South America's largest squatted highrise building is under threat.
The "Prestes Maia", by far the largest squatted highrise building on the South American continent, is under threat of eviction. With its 468 families, accounting for more than 1600 previously homeless people, including children, elderly and disabled, the building will shortly be returned to its 'lawful' owner, Mr. Hamuche & Co., who in the last 15 years of 'ownership' accumulated a debt in municipal taxes of some 5 million reais (approx. 2.2 million dollars / 2.1 million euros), which is more than the building is worth. This enormous debt, together with long years of abandonment, should well justify (even according to law) a claim for the building to become public property by the local municipality, but nevertheless will be returned to its owner, putting hundreds of people back onto the streets.
The 468 families, united in the Downtown Roofless Movement (Movimento Sem Teto do Centro or MSTC) of São Paulo, have lived in the 22-storey highrise since 2002. The building had simply been closed down for years and left in deplorable condition, serving as shelter for rats and cockroaches, as is the case of many buildings in downtown São Paulo. The new residents cleaned out tonnes of rubbish and litter (200 trucks to be exact!), organized it, expelled drugs and other criminal bosses always there to take advantage, turning it into an exciting and lively human dwelling.
Last January 27th, the family's representatives met with the police authorities in charge of the forthcoming eviction. During the meeting, it was made clear that the action will take place somewhere between the 15th and 21st of February -- an exact date was not given for 'strategic' reasons – and that the troops will be 'prepared for the worst'. Yesterday, february 7th, the residents of Prestes Maia’s building block the street in front of the occupation. They stayed there for almost 2 hours. This act was an attempt to bring more attention to the situation of the residents and to the possible eviction, scheduled to take place next week.
The families were advised to leave the precinct before the eviction to avoid unpleasant encounters, and when they asked where they were supposed to go, the answer was: 'to the streets or elsewhere'.
This is the way the city government has acted during countless evictions since Mr. José Serra took office as major of the largest Brazilian city, in the beginning of 2005. His project to 'gentrify' the city centre, largely paid for by international funds, based on expelling the low-earning families and street dwellers, counts on the systematic employment of the municipal (Guarda Civil Metropolitana) and state (Polícia Militar) police forces.
This clearly shows the municipal and state authorities' attitude towards the 'poor' and their movements: first criminalise them and then fight and persecute them, without mercy, expelling them to the sub-urban 'favelas' or at the most to 'social housing projects', mostly even further out.
The 'Prestes Maia' squat -- with its library, its workshops, its educational, social and cultural activities -- in the last years turned into a major laboratory of experiments in organizing a real human renewal of downtown São Paulo. People of all ages and upbringings, of all Brazilian states and other nationalities, artists, students, work together to create a new understanding of how the city should and can work. Putting all these people back onto the streets, 'pulverizing' them, is a maior crime! Support 'Prestes Maia'!
Read more here-> 
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2006/02/833052.shtml Petition-> 
http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2006/02/344971.shtml
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
Additional info
14.02.2006 03:58
Hopefully we'll get it translated and subtitled this week as we hope to screen it on thursday night at the rampART.
There is an online petition (for what it's worth) here
Audio interviews (again, Portuguese only)
squatters of the world unite
Solidarity actions elsewhere in the country?
14.02.2006 04:08
there is some kind of sculpture exhibition being promoted by the Brazilian Embassy.
"This exhibition returns to the first São Paulo Bienal of 1951, and proceeds to the present day. The staggering fluctuations in political, social and economic stability in Brazil over the past fifty years have had visible consequences for sculpture. This exhibition reveals how events have helped shape ideas about sculpture as well as how sculpture represents those events." www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk
Perhaps there is some scope for some kind of intervention or installation there to raise the plight of the families threatened with eviction in this round of 'modernisation'.
options
More London possibilities
14.02.2006 05:16
6 St Alban's Street, London SW1Y 4SQ
which is between Haymarket and Lower Regent Street. The nearest underground station is Piccadilly Circus, on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines.
T : 020 7930 9055 (switchboard)
F : 020 7925 3990
www.brazil.org.uk/consulate
King's College London, have a department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
Perhaps a special impromptu seminar or teach-in on the subject of gentrification and international solidarity might be appropriate.
The Strand, London WC2R 2LS
020 7848 2507
www.kcl.ac.uk
Or, perhaps more embarrassing for the Brazilian embassy, there is an exhibition at the Barbican at the moment (
Not to be missed, according the embassy press release.. "The Embassy of Brazil is delighted to collaborate with the Barbican Centre in this festival celebrating Tropicália, a landmark in Brazil’s cultural history and an enduring influence over subsequent generations of Brazilian artists. Tropicália was, and is, a mood as well as a movement – a permanent revolution forged by creativity. From February to May 2006 the festival will offer the London public a chance to experience a selection of the most exciting and dynamic aspects of Brazilian arts and culture, as well as get a taste of some of the country’s innumerable tourist attractions."
The show has the following sponsors, all possible candidates for attention:
The Brazilian Embassy,
32 Green Street
London W1K 7AT
020 7399 9000
Fax : 020 7399 9102
020 7399 9224
020 7399 9227
020 7399 9221
020 7399 9219
020 7399 9230
020 7399 9229
T : 020 7399 9282 F : 020 7399 9100
Press Office T : 020 7399 9000 F : 020 7399 9100
Press Officer & Webmaster 020 7399 9267
Press Officer 020 7399 9266
Press Officer 020 7399 9265
T : 020 7629 6909
F : 020 7399 9102
020 7629 6909
020 7629 6909
The Brazilian Tourist Board
18 Greyhound Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8NX
Tel 020 7385 9975
The Bank of Brazil
The Banco do Brazil, is a big player in public finance and majority owned by the Brazilian government
Their Londons offices are 34 King Street London EC2V 8ES
Tel: 020 7606 7101
Perhaps contacting any of these addresses or phone numbers and asking for your concerns to be passed onto the Brazilian government would be worth considering.
affinity
SIgn the Prestes Maia Petition
14.02.2006 18:38
here's the link
André
Thanks for the Solidarity
15.02.2006 14:40
i would like to say thanks to you all who are showing solidarity with us here in brasil. I am from indymedia brasil and we, together with many others, are resisting with the families!!
I do have a great news about it!! The families got 2 more months, so the eviction wont happen this week. But that doesnt means we have won. Unfortunally!
We still need to make pressure on the city hall government to disapropriate the building! the owner owns 5 million reais in taxes and in brasil's constitution this is the case for disapropriation and to use the building to make house for the ppl!
But our mayor is from the right wing party psdb and his government has a very havy exclussion policy, where they are taking all the poor ppl out from downtown so they can make it a place like downtown of paris, london, and many other cities in the world that has soffered this type of gentrification process.!
We must create pressure on them! even the UN (who i personally dont give that much credit for their actions around the world) came to brasil and put in their report the suggestion for the local government to do that.
Have a great luck on the action tomorrow and please post on imc brasil the results. I will look for it and I can translate it to pt.
always in solidarity
toya
progress - in'it great
17.02.2006 02:27
n