The biggest squat I ever saw!
Last week I was in Sao Paulo, Brazil and visited a pretty amazing place: a huge 20 story building that had been taken over by homeless people and activists and turned into a giant skyscraper squat, successfully defended for years, right downtown. The owner had abandoned the building and hadn’t paid taxes in over a decade, so the people declared they had a right to take it over. This process was shown in a great film by Brazilian director Toni Venturi, called “House Warming Party� (“Dia de Festa�) – Tony showed me around and introduced me to everyone.
The building is run as a collective, people vote on issues and allocate according to people’s needs (for example, there are no working elevators, so they give priority to the ground floors to elderly residents). There is no drug trafficking allowed, and it’s surprising how clean and efficient everything is. There is running water, electricity, a libraryâ€â€but unfortunately no Internet access yet…we’re working on it (maybe could be the first Brazilian HomelessNation.org outpost!)
There is a full-time lawyer who defends the squat. At any time, the police might come and try to take back the squat (they’ve tried many times), but the lawyer is there to ensure they can’t do so without the right court orders.
I found the whole setup quite cool. This is an active, vibrant activist community (there are a lot of poor and homeless people in Brazil) and the place is run mainly by strong activist women. Many thanks too the residents who helped show me around, and into their homes and spaces. Keep up the fight!
insane! this is so cool, it would be awesome to take a good look inside in person.
Great reporting, very interesting indeed. Glad to see people in need co-operating. It can be done people!
I have a friend that lives in Sao Paulo, she was just in Toronto visiting last months, I'm going to ask her for more info on this squat and do you know if I'd be able to find a copy of the movie you mentioned?
Cheers,
KoLiN
ACT
YOUR
RAGE
hey that is the sweetest thing ive seen! why dont the cops leave 'em alone, if they want em gone,why? cant they allwork out some justified deal?? they've proved they can run the place efficiently if its been goin for so long, sounds like its fair and well done. they want poeple off the streets,provide housing. people want housing, then when they get it and to show they appreciate it run it like this place. government needs to assure affordable decent housing and individuals need to show they appreciate and are responsible to take care of the housing they are provided,simple! ("in connection with everything give thanks" forget where that is in the bible)
I have a copy here, I'll ask the filmmaker if I can put some clips on the site. Or I can send it to you after I watch it.
Here I am leaping on my soapbox again.
This squat is *exactly* what I have been telling activists for years.
Stop considering "government provided social housing" the only solution.
There is a whole big WORLD of solutions out there if we'd stop jamming up our brains with bullshit. The activist community in Canada is so stuck on "housing" instead of community solutions that it's like trying to wedge open a bank vault with a crowbar to get them to *think* instead of parroting the party line.
Read my lips folks:
THE GOVERNMENT NEVER HAS, ISN'T AND *NEVER WILL* provide enough housing. EVER. There is a bona-fide poverty agenda in NOT providing it and keeping it as a 'reward' and a 'treat' instead of a basic human right. Being able to house oneself is a *freedom* they can't afford to give you and keep you as a wage slave and living in terror of losing your government hand-outs.
To understand housing as a human right we need to understand that if it isn't available , the other option is to TAKE IT.
Think of this. Does anyone blame Jean Valjean for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family in "Les Miserables"? No? Why not? Because dying from starvation is a useless waste of a human life.
Well, so is getting sick from or dying from lack of housing.
There's housing all over the place. The rest is a blatant lie.
Hey Metisrebel,
The only thing I can say is, I agree.
Stay warm and dry, or die trying!
-Joey @sshole