Vila Autodromo Activist Appeals to Olympic Movement

(ATR) Maria da Penha had her Vila Autodromo house knocked down by the city government, which furthered her resolve to not leave the embattled neighborhood.

Vila Autodromo is a favela located next to the Olympic Park. The neighborhood once boasted over 800 families, but over 250 families have relocated to clear space for a new neighborhood in the area. According to city hall seven families remain in the area that is set to be developed by the city.

Da Penha is an activist for the neighborhood and has been protesting the treatment of the neighborhood for years, saying the city of Rio de Janeiro is forcing residents out of the area due to the Olympic Games. On March 8 construction workers ordered by the city demolished her house; the same day da Penha received the "women’s citizen medal" from the Rio de Janeiro legislative assembly for her activism work.

"I am really sad for me to be here seeing the remains of my house," da Penha said to Around the Rings the next day. "I have faith to get a new house within this community and this is what comforts me. I’m going to keep living in Vila Autodromo and the mayor is going to give me a new house."

On March 8 Paes announced a plan to "urbanize" the Vila Autodromo neighborhood. The plans for the neighborhood include new houses, schools, and other community amenities. It is unclear if residents from the community will move into the newly built houses, or if they will be sold to new buyers.

"We already did have dialogue with these people in Vila Autodromo," Paes said to reporters. "This couple who had their house demolished, we already had dialogue."

Paes says that those who have relocated are enjoying the new apartments the city has provided for them, and he continues to urge the residents in Vila Autodromo to consider the offer from City Hall.

Da Penha does not blame the Olympics explicitly for the predicament the residents of Vila Autodromo are facing, but said that the Games "have two sides," which pushes poorer citizens to the margins. She believes that future host cities need to learn the lessons Rio de Janeiro has exposed to prevent future occurrences.

"I believe that the Olympics have a good side to them; unfortunately there has to be a change," da Penha said.

"When there is another country that is going to host the Olympics the governments there can prepare better and respect people better. They can respect these communities in areas where they are going to build and have the Olympics.

"I know this hasn’t just happened in my country. This is something for the IOC and the people who will organize the next Olympics. They have to worry about these families who are in need, and they have to do stuff for these communities. There has to be a social legacy."

Da Penha believes that Rio Olympic organizers lost a chance at social legacy with the Vila Autodromo community, but it can be salvaged if the promises of urbanization are upheld.

"[Urbanization] is not going to be for many families, but still there will be one," da Penha said. "This should have been done before so the people who lived here could have been heard more."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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