4 Years if the crime in Mariana: the stricken resist and press the fight for full reparations

This Tuesday (11/05), the stricken by tailing dams are mobilized, from the first hours of the day in the city of Mariana, Minas Gerais state, to denounce after four years of the mining companies’ crime, Samarco, Vale, BHP/Billiton, full reparations still have not come.

Right at the start of dawn, the MG-129 highway was completely blocked at the exit to Bento Rodrigues, the most affected town district awash with mud with the rupture of the Fundao tailings dam when 19 people died. During the protest, the stricken dialogued with workers about the importance of bringing attention to the injustice committed by those companies.

According to information from Renova Foundation, more than 54.000 people filed requests to register as having being stricken in the Rio Doce river bay, out of which, only 26.000 were recognized – and 22.000 still await acknowledgment for reparations.

To Pablo Dias, coordinator of MAB (Movement of People Affected by Dams), the movement leading the charges in this day of struggle, the date is important because it only confirms  warnings MAB had made about Fundação Renova “dragging its feet” – created for the express purpose of making reparations and being run by the very company responsible for the crime.

A house, solidarity, a family stricken

Still in the morning, the stricken from the Rio Doce and Paraopeba’s river bays (gathered at The Stricken’s Meeting since Sunday)  traveled to Barra Longa municipality, approximately 50 kilometers from Mariana, which was also affected by the flow of toxic mud listing 300 families having problems with housing, from houses needing repairs to the need of relocation, according to the Technical Office.

As part of the campaign “Vale destroys, the people builds”, the building of a house for Yolanda Gouveia’s family, stricken who had the structure of their house craked, and are currently displaced living as guests.

The house will be built from the ground up by a mutual-aid group community effort contributed by the stricken from other States where MAB is organized, and also by supporters of the struggle and from society as a whole – those contributing resources by way of crowdfunding in the Catarse internet platform.

To get the layout of the area and already start rolling up sleeves, the stricken have brought bricks and other materials as an act of solidarity and to underscore that “what Renova hasn’t done in four years, the people can do in four months”, the movement explains.

“Even after the house is done being built, I will continue this struggle. The blame lies with the criminal companies, they are the ones who have to make reparations to us”, asserts Yolanda.

During the afternoon the stricken participating in the Meeting of the Stricken of Mariana, gathered in protest in the central part of the city following up the programmed day of struggles and joining with parallel protests lead by Frente Brasil Popular (Brazil Popular Front) and Povo Sem Medo (People Without Fear), with the goal of crying out for justice to be done in the case of Rio de Janeiro’s PSOL Congresswoman, Marielle Franco, who was brutally murdered last year.

Tradução: Carlos Costa Cox