Greetings.
It goes without saying that this past week has been a wild one in the world of sports, thanks in no small part to the fervor that has gripped the World Cup soccer tournament. For days now, televisions, computer screens, and iPhones have been tuned in to the din of loud-mouthed announcers and even louder-mouthed crowds in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Monopolizing most of the headlines have been countless updates on standings, statistics, and even an occasional instance where players attempt to bite each other.
However, while successive matches have followed each other and while news about the tournament continues to dominate the sporting world, a less thrilling and far more abysmal story has been quietly unfolding in the shadow of that immaculate stadium. It is a story that, while geographically limited to Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, should concern us all and remind us why liberty and, specifically, private property rights matter.
I'm referring to the fact that many impoverished Brazilians have lost their homes to make room for the World Cup and the thousands of people travelling to Rio de Janeiro to see the tournament.
Thanks to an an insightful article written by Anthony Ling from the Daily Caller, we learn that many residents of the "favelas" (or slums) around Rio, ahead of the World Cup, have been forced out of their places of residence for one reason or another; be it to make room for the actual stadium, or for upgraded infrastructure, or for any other economic or public necessity in preparation for the tournament. Many are living on the street with only a make-shift mattress and the clothes on their back as their only remaining possessions.
In all fairness to the Brazilian government, Ling does explain that some of the evictions taking place have been against Brazilians living on PUBLIC land. This fact is significant as it exempts these residents from claiming any homesteading right to the land itself. At the same time, however, Ling is also very clear about the fact that MOST of the evictions are occurring in actual, privately-owned neighborhoods that should have been recognized and given title a long time ago. Because they never were, however, the result has been the Brazilian government claiming the right to seize the land, bulldoze the homes, and do so often with little to no prior notice given to the residents themselves. Consequently, residents have been treated to the sight of bulldozers suddenly showing up one day to destroy their homes and leave them to deal with the armed police whose job it was to ensure that the peasants left peacefully. If they did not, the consequences were brutal.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/10/brazil-is-using-the-world-cup-to-destroy-communities/
Adding insult to injury, these Brazilians were given "reparations" to compensate for the loss of their home. While, on the surface, this may seem like a just measure, the reality is much more stark. On average, the amount of money given out per household was roughly 10,000 real (about $4,566). The average price of these homes: about 100,000 real ($45,662).
Some observations:
-This is nothing new. There have been many examples throughout recent history of governments running roughshod over the private property rights of individuals in pursuit of the revenue stream that a major sporting event brings.
-Brazil, to hear its own citizens talk, is worse than most when it comes to property rights violations. This is only the latest example.
-Most importantly: governments, however well-intentioned, are often the enemy of the very basic, fundamental right to own property that they are ideally created to protect. And it is our job as citizens to stand up against them when they do so; regardless of how futile our efforts may turn out to be. As long as we are unwilling to confront them when they perpetrate evil of this magnitude, we are complicit in their violation of our liberty and rights. We must stand up to them.
My intention here is not to bash the World Cup, or sports, or even the fans who blithely cheer on their teams from their stadium seats and remain oblivious to the grim reality that resides just beyond those majestically-constructed walls. Rather, my intention is to call YOU, the reader, to vigilance and remind you that what is happening to the poor people of Rio de Janeiro who have lost their homes due to infrastructure upgrades and remodeling can happen to anyone. While this particular instance seems mostly confined to Brazil, let's not kid ourselves or make any mistake: our property rights are only as secure as we're willing to make them.
Until next week: stay vigilant.
Praesant Libero!
-Warren Brisbane
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