Mariano’s first eviction attempt was on May 23, 2024. On December 19, neighborhood pressure prevented the second. And this Wednesday he faces the third. In these weeks, the situation of this 56-year-old man has not changed much. The conditions that motivated a vulnerability report from social services eight months ago are still in force and his health continues to cause problems. So many, that this Tuesday his doctor added a injection of diazepam and another pain reliever to his usual medication to prevent his tension from skyrocketing. In December he required medical assistance for fainting during the launch attempt from what has been his home for half a century.
“Since this morning I have been crying because of the tension, but it is the body’s escape route for stress,” he explains, leaning on the kitchen counter. In the background, a small noise can be heard. In the living room, a group of neighbors and colleagues from the PAH of Vallekas, who are arriving in dribs and drabs, have decided to spend the night with him. “We want to accompany him, so that he is not alone,” explains Celia.
The apartment in which Mariano lives is owned by Carmen Elzaburu, a 94-year-old aristocrat who, according to data collected by the PAH of Vallecas, owns at least 13 homes, four hunting preserves and the Puerta de Hierro club, in one of the most expensive areas of the capital. The woman bought the property, initially listed as public housing, in December 1971, according to the Madrid property registry, and rented it shortly after.
“The judge does not consider the Elzaburu family to be large shareholders,” says Auri, who on Tuesday morning went with other colleagues to an event organized by one of the companies in Segovia. “They told us to go to Vallecas,” he remembers, “as if it were a mousetrap.” “Mariano’s is the explicit case that the housing law does not work, that it is insufficient,” he indicates, because although the norm establishes that there must be mediation mechanisms, that the State must prioritize attention to vulnerable people subjected to evictions or that they must be guaranteed access to decent housing, is not fulfilled here.
The property wants to evict Mariano due to some non-payments that he wants to resolve. “I know that I have outstanding water bills,” he explained in December, with several emails in which he demanded to know the amount in order to pay it as soon as possible. Social movements in defense of the right to housing have been targeting these practices for some time, to generate forced debts that justify judicial processes that end in evictions. “A debt of 50 euros is generated and they go to waste, because it is a very sweet apartment, but they don’t want it so that their grandchildren can live here,” explains Olmo, who is also accompanying Mariano tonight.
Although the support network woven around Mariano allows him to stay on his feet, the spirits are not unanimous. Some colleagues do not know what will happen this Wednesday, when the police arrive. Others are more optimistic. And some fear that this is the final one. “From the second attempt onwards, they usually come for it,” Olmo laments. That is why support in the previous hours is essential. “An eviction is a very tense moment for a person,” recalls Celia. “It’s always very violent,” says Auri.
The home, located in the Puente de Vallecas area, is one of the millions of examples of properties built under that classification and promoted with land or public resources, which have ended up on the free market. This is one of the real estate policies that have allowed thousands of families to own a home, but they have also served to despoil the public parksituated in Spain at around 2.5%, well below the European average, at 9.3%.
In the surroundings, you can find posters that the PAH colleagues have been posting around the neighborhood. “Vallekas is not their hunting ground. Get rid of gentlemen from our neighborhoods,” it reads next to Mariano’s photo and a call to try to stop the eviction. “The support I am having today comes from a long time ago, I am having a lot of support from the neighbors. They have not removed the posters even at school,” he celebrates. The companions remember that this support is reciprocal. “She came (to the PAH) a year ago and has been in many evictions, accompanying other colleagues, she has another neighbor welcomed… she is an important pillar,” says Olmo.
#night #vigil #eviction #attempt #aristocrat #Mariano #doesnt #apartment #grandson
