Ain’t got no home, for this reason I live on the street. The homeless population: dwellers or trespassers?

Abstract

This article analyzes the evictions faced by the homeless during the preparations of Rio de Janeiro for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, framed by social conflicts in favor of the right to the city, by juxtaposing urban security for the elites and disrespect for the rights of subaltern classes. The media’s and the official discourses classify the homeless as those who “live on the streets”, naturalizing their “home-less” condition and establishing the myth that, despite not having a home, that population inhabit somewhere. This process tends to empty the conflicting nature of the social relations that operate within the cities, such as the real reasons for the economic and social exclusion, thus accentuating opportunities for huge real estate investments in accelerated gentrification processes.