“Vila Autódromo: Target of the Ravenous Appetite of Olympic Construction-City ignores less traumatic options and spends the equivalent of a new sports arena”, 25 February 2016

...[On 13]...February...[a]...burst water pipe inside the Olympic Park created a quagmire that overflowed into the Vila Autódromo Neighborhood Association headquarters,...next to the Olympic construction...and the building was completely emptied out...[On 24 February]...,...the Association was evacuated once and for all so that it could be demolished, following the city’s acquisition of an order of eminent domain. The incident could be interpreted as a standard workplace accident and response...[E]mployees of the company responsible for the construction assisted in the cleanup of the building...[The]...desire to promote the 2016 Olympic Games has ignored less traumatic options for residents of the community, reduced to...50 families, less than ten percent of its size in 2013 before the evictions... “There have been unnecessary home demolitions in the heart of Vila Autódromo...There is no technical or economic rationale that justifies so many evictions–just social prejudice. They made the avenue pass right on top of people in order to cleanse the area for real estate speculation. It’s social cleansing...” says Carlos Vainer, professor...at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro...The cost is sixteen times greater than originally projected in the People’s Plan and, when compared to investments made in Olympic arenas, is only exceeded by the Aquatic Sports Center, budgeted at R$217.1 million...“There has been a lack of transparency in the eviction process in Vila Autódromo…” claims councillor Teresa Bergher…João Helvécio, coordinator of the Land and Housing Nucleus...at Rio’s Public Defenders Office,... argues that the City had no right to negotiate evictions, since land titles were distributed by the Rio de Janeiro State Government during the 1990s…