The São Paulo city government seizes tents belonging to homeless people with court authorization.
In two years, the number of street vendor stalls increased by 330% in the city of São Paulo.
247 - On Monday (3), homeless individuals in the central area of the city of São Paulo woke up to a joint action by municipal inspectors, Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) and Military Police (PM) confiscating their tents and belongings. This action was carried out by the administration of Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB), after the municipal government managed to annul an injunction that, since February 17, prevented the removal of tents in public areas during the day.
Father Julio Lancelotti, along with federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (Psol-SP) and six other people, filed a class action lawsuit in the 7th Public Treasury Court of São Paulo, which had prevented the removal of temporary housing on the sidewalks. However, last Friday (31), the injunction was revoked by Judge Ribeiro de Paula. Boulos and the social movements involved in the case intend to appeal the decision.
According to a census released in early 2022 by Qualitest, a company contracted by the city government, 31.884 people are homeless in the city of São Paulo. The research indicates that the number of tents has increased by 330% in two years.
The census methodology, however, was questioned by groups that have been working on the issue for decades, such as the National Movement of the Homeless Population (MNPR) and Rede Rua. According to these organizations, there are at least 45 people living on the sidewalks of São Paulo.
Last Saturday (1), the mayor commented that "this decision to overturn the injunction is very important". Defending "law and order" in the city, Nunes said that "the street is not an address, a tent is not a home. It is not dignified for people to be on the streets exposed to the sun, rain, without a bathroom, without a shower, without a tap".
According to Ricardo Nunes, the city government is expanding the Shelters and creating what they call "Reunion Villages," with houses measuring 18 square meters, and they have contracted 3.599 hotel rooms for families with children and the elderly.
A report by the Human Rights and Citizenship Commission of the São Paulo City Council, released in 2022, revealed that at the Zaki Narchi Shelter Center in Santana, 500 men slept on mattresses infested with bedbugs in a warehouse full of pigeons. At the time of the inspection, the toilets were clogged.
In a statement, the São Paulo city hall reports that it has "the largest social assistance network in Latin America, which currently has almost 21 shelter spaces for the homeless population." (With Brazil of Fact).