Dear Friend, Imagine you, me, and our families losing our homes just before the holidays. Imagine being thrown into homelessness — even as COVID rages. That’s the reality facing 450 families, including 150 children, from the Marielle Vive encampment in rural Brazil. And they need our support to get back home. |
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For more than three years, families organized in the Landless Workers Movement (MST) have turned over 130 hectares of idle land into a vibrant, self-sustaining community of small farmers. The Marielle Vive encampment, named after assassinated Rio de Janeiro city councilor Marielle Franco, has served not just as a home, but also a hub for agroecology, LGBT+ and feminist organizing, and education and cultural activities for youth. The camp is one of hundreds of MST communities providing food to the unemployed and COVID-affected across Brazil. Now, the São Paulo Court of Justice has violated this community’s constitutional rights and a pandemic moratorium on evictions. It has returned ownership to an absent landlord — turning the land from a universal social good into private gain for speculators. But even after this ruling, there’s still time to reverse this injustice. Our partner the MST has been leading a struggle in recent weeks alongside the Marielle Vive families. They’ve occupied government offices in protest of the court’s decision, and they’ve launched an online campaign to pressure local politicians and the court to reverse the eviction. Let’s join them in giving global solidarity for the holidays. In solidarity, |
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Chung-Wha Hong P.S. Taking action is just the first step. The MST and movements around the world need resources to keep up their struggle for justice in 2022. Please consider donating to our New Visions, Continuing Resistance end-of-year campaign and make an even greater impact. |
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