Previous articles about Prestes Maia...

Demonstration report and photos
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/02/333818.html

Feature - Squatters United Against Global Gentrification
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/02/333663.html

Brazilian IMC video about Prestes Maia (english subs available)
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/02/333849.html

Prestes Maia eviction postponed
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/02/333700.html

Prestes Maia blog site (Portuguese)
 http://www.ocupacaoprestesmaia.zip.net/


Time-stamped english transcripts of the video can be found below.
Portuguese translations and screening quality version to follow.
If you do a translation, please email us a copy to real2reel AT riseup DOT net

--- EDL starts here ---

00:00:00:22 00:00:03:09 We're at the Brazilian Embassy
00:00:03:28 00:00:08:20 We're here because there is a hugesquatted tower rise in Brazil...
00:00:08:19 00:00:10:02 that is getting evicted.
00:00:10:15 00:00:11:26 We heard about it at the last minute.
00:00:11:28 00:00:13:25 and just want to make a noise about it.
00:00:15:10 00:00:18:20 Thank you very much, I have my own rights thank you.
00:00:22:09 00:00:24:17 Who is organising this?
00:00:25:09 00:00:28:05 - We all are. - We are all organised.
00:00:30:04 00:00:33:21 You want to demonstrate you can,but we'll do it lawfully and peacefully.
00:00:37:25 00:00:39:10 Portuguese or English?
00:00:39:13 00:00:40:21 Just English?
00:00:41:01 00:00:42:20 Are you security, Sir?
00:00:42:19 00:00:44:02 No, but I'm from the Embassy.
00:00:44:01 00:00:46:16 Oh, well, there you are. If you have a quick chat.
00:00:46:19 00:00:48:20 ... about the people being evicted.
00:00:48:19 00:00:50:01 People evicted?
00:00:50:00 00:00:51:03 In Prestes Maia, Sao Paulo
00:00:59:28 00:01:04:20 To talk about Prestes Maia, the communityin Sao Paulo which is under threat of eviction.
00:01:05:23 00:01:08:19 We'd like to come insideand talk to you about that.
00:01:08:20 00:01:10:27 We want to make surethat you know about that.
00:01:11:07 00:01:14:08 I don't know about the subject, but people from the Embassy might know.
00:01:14:16 00:01:19:09 If they don't know, the person in charge of human rights will listen to you...
00:01:19:16 00:01:22:11 they'll try to know about it, and then they will do what they should do.
00:01:26:01 00:01:27:02 Nice picture of Lula
00:01:29:07 00:01:32:26 This ones the officer for human rights.
00:01:40:07 00:01:43:05 I deal with human rights, social issues and the environment at the Embassy
00:01:44:09 00:01:51:10 We're concerned about the threat of eviction to 468 families in a squatted highrise in Sao Paulo.
00:01:52:04 00:01:56:00 - The taxes he owes is more that what...?- the buildings worth
00:01:56:00 00:01:59:09 Apparently under Brazilian constitutional law...
00:01:59:19 00:02:05:21 this gives grounds for the authorities to nationalise the building,
00:02:06:10 00:02:13:04 Instead of doing that they have arranged to send in the military police to evict the building.
00:02:14:00 00:02:18:04 We are very very concerned that should an eviction take place, that it will be a violent one.
00:02:18:03 00:02:24:01 in your role as a human rights officers, this is one of your concerns... that noone gets wounded or shot or anything in the process
00:02:24:10 00:02:28:01 I won't be the person who can solve everything, the case there, but...
00:02:28:28 00:02:35:16 what we can do is to convey your message tothe special secretary for human rights in Brazil
00:02:35:16 00:02:37:27 and say that there are concerned people here...
00:02:37:26 00:02:41:08 that they knew about the situation, that they are following the news...
00:02:41:07 00:02:44:01 that they are aware that these people would be evicted in two months time.
00:02:44:04 00:02:52:11 a good solution would be either if social housing is provided for people if they do get evicted
00:02:52:10 00:02:57:26 or that this building does come into public hands
00:02:58:04 00:03:03:25 housing problems are not only related to these people who are in this building but everybody,
00:03:03:23 00:03:07:26 if you think about the favelas, all the othersin the roofless movement ..
00:03:07:25 00:03:13:07 But these people have solved their housing problem and built a community!
00:03:14:09 00:03:17:17 The whole of the downtown area of Sao Paulo is really degenerating...
00:03:17:16 00:03:23:19 and this is why the former mayor and now this one, are trying to regenerate.
00:03:23:17 00:03:28:27 We've seen the process of so called 'regeneration' which means...
00:03:28:26 00:03:32:14 pushing out the low income families
00:03:32:13 00:03:38:17 and the people who'd been living in a particular area of London for generations...
00:03:38:23 00:03:42:01 and then gettings pushed out, and they end up living in the suburbs.
00:03:42:00 00:03:47:13 The people with the high powered jobs,and only want to travel fifteen minutes to work
00:03:47:25 00:03:53:21 and can afford the inflated prices of propertyin the regenerated areas...
00:03:53:20 00:03:54:23 are the only ones who live there.
00:03:54:22 00:04:01:01 When they are talking about regeneration, gentrification, that means exclusion.
00:04:01:21 00:04:05:03 In terms of regeneration in Brazil, the governments would be involved.
00:04:05:17 00:04:11:01 Because we have these problems in our big cities, people would always think about this.
00:04:11:08 00:04:15:15 The community themselves would go and say, 'you have to take a look at this'.
00:04:16:04 00:04:22:19 When you are in a rich countrythings tend to be more market regulated...
00:04:23:03 00:04:27:07 But in our case there would be a very strong role by the government.
00:04:27:10 00:04:28:01 It would be nice to think that...
00:04:28:00 00:04:31:26 but the guy that owns this building is a very successful multimillionaire
00:04:31:25 00:04:37:10 despite the fact that he's been evading taxes,or probably because he's been evading taxes.
00:04:38:03 00:04:44:03 So when you are talking about a building that's worth a huge amount in the centre of Sao Paulo...
00:04:44:02 00:04:53:01 it's easy to see that decisions might be made on market considerations rather than social ones.
00:04:53:08 00:04:57:23 I am going to send this information. I am going to say that you were here and you were worried etc.
00:04:58:14 00:05:02:25 I'm just reminded. You know Racionais MC’sthe rap band from Sao Paulo?
00:05:03:09 00:05:08:17 They've got a great track which is called,'Periferia É Periferia, Qual que foi?'
00:05:08:16 00:05:13:08 I think that's why we're here, the periphery is the periphery everywhere you go.
00:05:13:20 00:05:16:01 And that's the root of our solidarity really.
00:05:16:17 00:05:18:01 You know how to samba?
00:05:18:14 00:05:20:21 You should know to do it.
00:05:37:16 00:05:41:11 If we are any kind of network at all -if we are going to create any kind of free...
00:05:41:09 00:05:45:04 open space community around the world.We need to show solidarity all around the world
00:05:45:04 00:05:47:15 and we can share experience,we can share strength.
00:05:48:01 00:05:51:25 We need to make this movement much bigger than just in London, or just in any town.
00:05:56:08 00:06:01:01 It's important to show people here that there are other people that care about people in Brazil.
00:06:01:00 00:06:06:07 and that we agree with themtaking on land when they have no land.
00:06:17:20 00:06:23:02 Getting a stable place is for people a chance to have a life...
00:06:23:16 00:06:28:00 and if that is taken away then those people don't have a chance to live.
00:06:28:04 00:06:32:07 Everywhere in the world,against gentrification, against evictions.
00:06:42:23 00:06:46:00 I'm here because I really love Brazilians!
00:06:46:19 00:06:49:10 Brazil was my home for two and a half years.
00:06:49:09 00:06:51:25 So I wanted to send some solidarity back.
00:06:52:00 00:06:55:10 And show some of that same generosity.
00:07:11:07 00:07:13:13 Keep fighting and keep occupying !
00:07:24:11 00:07:26:09 Keep on being disobedient.
00:07:39:00 00:07:41:01 Good luck and keep fighting!
00:07:52:10 00:07:54:03 You're going to stay there!
00:08:05:09 00:08:09:05 real2reel @ riseup.net