This Friday, August 21—National Housing Day—Kasa Invisível withstood its first eviction attempt. Although the imminent risk remains, we ended the day even stronger, ready to continue our resistance together. The struggle began with a breakfast at the entrance of the squat, organized by various social movements and other occupations. Collective members stayed inside the building while the community and a crowd of supporters gathered on the sidewalk. At exactly 7:30 AM, the court bailiff and the heirs of the former owner arrived with a moving truck, creating a tense, silent moment felt by those inside Kasa. Collective members and supporters from various movements—such as MLB, Teia dos Povos, UP, Boxe Antifa, Resistência Azul Popular, Sind-UTE, the National Network of People’s Lawyers (RENAP), and the Human Rights Commission of OAB (Brazilian Bar Association), alongside people’s lawyers, lawmakers, and aides—peacefully mobilized against the eviction attempt.
While people climbed onto the roof to unfurl banners, the rapper FBC spoke with the moving truck workers, persuading them not to assist with the eviction by explaining the space’s importance to the community and the authoritarian nature of such an eviction. The two workers decided against helping with the move, and some even made comments in support of the movement. Tension rose as the former owners’ lawyer filmed the protesters’ faces, while the crowd sang an ironic song about heirs losing a property to a squat: “Grandpa left it to you, you forgot about it, and now you’ve lost it.”
At the same time, the resistance was also an occasion for connection and solidarity. People brought bread and juice, and coffee was lowered on ropes from the Kasa’s balcony. We pooled funds to buy meals for the dozens of people present and ate on the sidewalk, sharing food, conversation, and the spirited energy of those gathering to fight for a common cause. Meanwhile, supporters unable to attend in person followed real-time updates via dozens of online channels and high-reach profiles that covered and amplified the event. That same day, Bill 547/25—the “Gentrification Bill,” which paves the way for high-rise development and real estate speculation in the city’s central neighborhoods—was being voted on at City Hall, facing its own wave of popular mobilization and resistance. The bill was blocked through a legal challenge!
A locksmith was even called to try and open the lock, but he couldn’t get anywhere near the squat’s entrance. Shortly after, he gave up on trying to make his way through the crowd and left. The court bailiff also left the scene, and eventually, the heirs departed, threatening to call the police. The police, however, never showed up. Several parliamentary offices sent formal appeals to police command and even the governor, expressing solidarity and concern regarding the threatened eviction of a housing space and social center located in a historic downtown building.
At the end of the day—which also featured a rally by President Lula in the city center—the National Housing Day protest against evictions set out from Praça Sete, passed by the Maria do Arraial squat (also facing eviction), and arrived at Kasa Invisível, bringing together chants, songs, and speeches in support of the resistance. Hundreds of residents from Belo Horizonte occupations—particularly those managed by the MLB, such as Eliana Silva, Maria do Arraial, and Paulo Freire—were in attendance.
After two weeks marked by so many setbacks within the capitalist legal system, successfully halting the eviction through the power of mobilization—with the support of our community, partners, and allies—is invigorating. It demonstrates that collective struggle can open paths where institutions insist on closing doors.
However, the threat of eviction remains. It could arise again soon. That is why we must stay mobilized, organized, and ready to resist.
We are maintaining our vigil and hosting an intensive schedule of political and cultural activities in support of the occupation remaining in place.
Occupy and resist!
Kasa Invisível stays!
Read more news about the attempted eviction:
- ‘Kasa Invisível’: decisão de despejo ameaça 13 anos de cultura e moradia – ESTADO DE MINAS