One hundred people remain in Vila Santa Rita.
The group was expected to leave this Saturday; families resisted police action and are in a precarious situation.
247 – The occupation in Vila Santa Rita remains undefined, even with the police action last Friday the 12th. Families have promised to leave this Saturday, but for now they remain on the site.
Check out more details in the article from Estado de Minas:
Daniel Silverira
Amidst a jumble of mattresses, clothes, and what little remained of the dozens of shacks in the Eliana Silva occupation, in Vila Santa Rita, Barreiro region, in Belo Horizonte, about 100 people decided to remain on the site since Friday, when the Military Police began enforcing the court order to repossess the area. Sleeping outdoors and using umbrellas to protect themselves from the strong sun, the group members maintained hope of being able to stay. However, after a meeting between the movement's leaders, it was decided that the land will be completely vacated this Saturday.
Among those who remained in the area, about 20 are children, mostly infants. According to one of the occupation's leaders, Leonardo Péricles, coordinator of the Movement for Struggle in Neighborhoods, Villages and Slums, the precarious situation in which the children find themselves was decisive in the decision to leave the area. He stated that, because the occupation of the area was uncertain, many families kept their old homes, mostly rented, and will return to them. However, he guaranteed that they will still fight for their ideals. "The police demolished our shacks, but not our will to fight," he emphasized.
Approximately 50 military police officers also remained at the site since the previous night. According to Lieutenant Thiago Rocha, there were no protests or confrontations. He allowed water and food to be brought onto the property. Since the industrial stoves that were there were removed by the military police, the group had to improvise a wood-burning stove.
Friar Gilvander is one of the people who also remained at the site. An organizer of the homeless and landless movements, he received permission from the police to receive up to five people at a time inside the area. Meanwhile, the entire plot of land began to be fenced off by the city government with barbed wire. According to the Public Prosecutor's office, this situation would be challenged in court by two prosecutors from the Coordination of Inclusion and Social Mobilization, since the fence is being installed on land that is under judicial review.
With information from Pedro Ferreira.