SAO PAULO – More than 800 people occupied a 200,000 square metre piece of land in the district of Morumbi, Sao Paulo, in the early hours of June 21st. The occupation was completed over the course of a few hours, with occupiers arriving on 14 buses from different areas of the city and building over 200 shelters made from tarpaulin and bamboo sticks.

The Morumbi district is one of the areas of Sao Paulo that has been most affected by real estate speculation. Rents are increasing at an unstoppable and abusive rate, forcing families to relocate to other neighborhoods with little or no infrastructure. Inequality in Sao Paulo is obvious, with apartments worth approximately 350,000 USD situated close to communities with practically no infrastructure, such as Olária, Viela da Paz and Vila Praia.

“The communities occupying this space were forced out of their previous homes by real estate speculation. Tractors and trucks came and took away their homes, claiming that the area they were living in is a nature reserve. Now they’re coming back to live here, in Morumbi district!” said Ana Paula, coordinator of the Homeless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Tet – MTST). She was speaking during the first assembly of the occupation, while some occupiers were still putting up shelters. “Tomorrow this land will be full of people from neighboring communities who are also in need of a home. We’re going to provide breakfast for everyone and organize the structure of the occupation for the people who are going to stay here.” she concluded.

“Four years ago, 144 families lost their houses nearby; now’s the time to take back what is rightfully theirs,” said Luis, a local resident. “This piece of land has been unused and empty for 30 years: we have discovered that it is actually one of the few spaces destined for social housing according to the city’s Master Plan for housing. We want to put pressure on the government to ensure that the land is reserved for this purpose” explained Guilherme Boulos, MTST national coordinator.