Quilombolas occupy ancestral land in São Paulo to dispute real estate ownership

In São Roque, São Paulo, members of the Quilombo Revolucionário do Carmo occupied Fazenda Icaraí on September 5 to demand official land titling for their ancestral territory. While the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) published a technical report in 2024 recognizing the area as ancestral, the land remains legally owned by the real estate company Privillagio Empreendimentos e Participações.

Isaque da Cruz, president of the Association of the Quilombola Territory of the Carmo Neighborhood (ATEQUIBACA), claims the company had been leasing the land for cattle ranching to maintain a facade of social function. He alleges the area is being targeted for luxury developments, such as high-end condominiums and golf courses, which could increase land value and complicate federal compensation processes.

The region is also facing tension regarding the Patrimônio do Carmo condominium, a large-scale real estate development established in the 1970s that occupies approximately 10,000 square meters.