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As sports arenas rise up around them and neighbors houses are demolished, around 50 families remain in Vila Autodromo, a favela bordering the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro. About half of those refuse to leave the favela, which they describe as “paradise” because of a lack of violence compared with poor areas elsewhere in the city. With a year until the Games come to Brazil, over 90 percent of residents have already left after accepting compensation. The holdouts, despite violent run-ins with police, vow to fight eviction whatever the cost. Living in a ghost town with sporadic access to water and electricity, the families have become a symbol against the use of the Olympic Games to modernize Rio, a move critics say is only benefiting the rich.

By Reuters

Children play near demolished houses in the Vila Autodromo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 28. As sports arenas rise up around them and neighbors houses are demolished, around 50 families remain in Vila Autodromo, a favela bordering the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro. About half of those refuse to leave the favela, which they describe as “paradise” because of a lack of violence compared with poor areas elsewhere in the city.

(Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)