RIO ON WATCH (paraphrased) – By Clare Huggins, “I will not give up 22 years of history for 15 days of Olympic Games.” Although her petite frame and humble personality might not show it, Maria da Penha, commonly known just as Penha, is one of Vila Autodromo’s boldest and bravest activists. On June 3, 2015, riot police were sent into Vila Autódromo to forcibly evict residents in a shocking lightning eviction. Police used rubber bullets, pepper spray and batons during a physical attack on residents, which left Penha with a broken nose and seriously injured. This only inspired Penha to fight stronger than ever. Her home is one of the few houses that still remain in Vila Autódromo although it was often circled by Municipal Guards. On February 21, 2016 she welcomed around 30 community supporters into her home to camp out in preparation for an early morning demolition. Penha, who has lived in the community for 23 years, insists that no amount of money can compensate her house, her community, her memories: “Your house is not just a house, it’s a story of your life,” she affirms reporters (26).  An article released by Adam Talbot during Rio’s 2016 Olympic Games describes the scene at the demolition site. “As teargas choked protesting activists outside Maracanã Stadium, a tiny fraction of the original residents of Vila Autódromo were busy moving into new homes. These twenty families had resisted relocation against all odds after years of struggle and the loss of 97% of the community’s original residents. The remnant had determinedly succeeded to be the first-ever collectively negotiated re-housing agreement in Rio de Janeiro. The government built new homes for those residents who remained and promised further upgrades of community spaces in the months following the Olympic Games. Despite evictions, many view the story of Vila Autódromo as a relative victory, not just because of those who remained, but because those residents who left were given adequate compensation packages as a result of their fierce resistance”. (27)