Police officers take position in front of the First of May occupation in Itaguai during an eviction of the land. (Photo by Ian Cheibub)
Tents on fire are seen during the eviction at the First of May occupation in Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ian Cheibub)
Residents of the First of May occupation in Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro, sit in an open field after a police eviction that destroyed the occupation and left more than 4000 people homeless. (Photo by Ian Cheibub)
Many of the occupants of the “May 1st Refugee Camp” had come from paramilitary controlled regions in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone after they lost their income and had been evicted from their homes amid Brazil’s uncontrolled COVID crisis. The Human Rights Commission, an autonomous government body, counted over 3,000 occupants—993 mothers and heads of the family, 1,854 children, and 427 elderly people.“The police didn’t give us any warning. What they did was evil.”
Ana Maria Carvalho's family wait with their belongings to leave the First of May Refugee Camp during an eviction in Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ian Cheibub)
“I’m here in the forest that we had hoped to replant, we’re here with our communal kitchen and they're going to destroy it all. And the people are here suffering,” said Lanchinho during the raid.According to data from the housing rights campaign, Despejo Zero, around 64,500 Brazilian families living in illegal settlements are at risk of eviction during the pandemic and the supreme court decision suspending some evictions isn’t always obeyed. The court also ruled that alternative housing and support would need to be offered to those who are evicted.“Nobody here is a criminal, we’re families with young children. And now? How are we going to live?”
A woman with her belongings stands in an open field at the First of May refugee camp during their eviction in Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ian Cheibub)