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On street corners and commercial establishments, the scene repeats itself. A homeless person approaches to talk or ask for help at tables in bars and restaurants and an employee promptly tries to expel them, as if it were possible to distance themselves from the reality of the country. Bills filed with the São Paulo Chamber and ALESP want to address this issue and fine the practice of aporophobia, discrimination against the poor.
The proposals were presented by state deputy Eduardo Suplicy (PT) and councilor Amanda Paschoal (PSOL). “We want to raise awareness among civil servants and citizens. There will be campaigns, booklets and training to combat the naturalization of exclusion. We cannot accept that poverty is treated as a crime”, points out the councilor, who is in her first term. The text defines aporophobia practices as forced removals from the streets, collection of belongings, aggression and discrimination in transport, accommodation, temples, cultural spaces, sports or work.
The proposal provides for warnings, fines – depending on the offender’s income – and even revocation of licenses in cases of repeat offenses. When committed by public agents, there will be disciplinary liability. The funds raised will be allocated to the Municipal Fund to Fight Hunger and the São Paulo Social Fund.
Father Júlio Lancelloti believes in the relevance of the project to discuss society’s relationship with the poorest, “because it will address subjective aspects, but also objective aspects. And it can improve the care of homeless people or impoverished people. We hope that they will be approved in the Assembly and the City Council, since we already have in the Cities Statute the law that prohibits hostile architecture”
Law 14,489/22, known as the Padre Júlio Lancellotti Law, prohibits “hostile architecture” in public and collective spaces, that is, the use of materials, structures and construction techniques that aim to keep homeless people and other vulnerable groups away. The rule was only sanctioned after Congress overturned a veto by then-president Jair Bolsonaro.
The tribute is due to one of the priest’s many activities to defend this group. In February 2021, the administration of Mayor Bruno Covas installed sharp stones under the Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida viaduct, in Tatuapé, east zone of São Paulo, so that recyclable collectors would not sleep there. Outraged, Lancellotti denounced the action and went to the viaduct to break some of the stones with a sledgehammer.
The term was created by the Spanish philosopher Adela Cortina and is present in her book “Aporophobia, the aversion to the poor: a challenge for democracy” (Editora Contracurrent). She coined it from the Greek words á-poros (poor, without resources) and phobos (fear, aversion). According to data from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). There are 335,000 homeless people in the country, with around 96,000 living in the city of São Paulo (8 per thousand inhabitants). Between 2020 and 2024, almost 47 thousand acts of violence against the homeless population were recorded in Brazil. The capital of São Paulo leads the ranking with around 9 thousand occurrences in the period.
The articulation between Suplicy and Paschoal reinforces the need for integrated policies between social assistance, education, human rights and urbanism in the state of São Paulo. At the federal level, there are projects on the topic stalled in Congress. The Chamber’s Education Committee approved the proposal by deputy Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP) that makes aporophobia a cross-cutting topic in school curricula, strengthening teaching about human rights and combating inequality.
The psolista recalls that Mayor Ricardo Nunes vetoed the project by councilor Luna Zarattini (PT) to install public drinking fountains in the municipality. “This management puts into practice a policy of persecution and dismantling of public services and equipment. We follow the closure of centers serving the homeless population in Santo Amaro, for example. The resources allocated to the Municipal Secretariat for Assistance and Social Development are less than the demands”
Approval of the proposal at the City Council will depend on time and negotiation, according to the councilor. The agreement to vote on consensus projects separate from more controversial proposals was not respected by the presidency of the house and since then the agenda has been blocked. At ALESP, the project was debated at the last meeting of the PT bench and Eduardo Suplicy asked for the party’s commitment to support the PL in the Constitution, Justice and Writing Committee.
