The Olympic Games are a time to be happy and grateful that teams of all races and cultures can compete in one of the biggest competitions in the world. However, as amazing as the games in Rio have been up to this point, it has all come at a price. How can one be happy about the games when the government of Brazil chose to be a showman over caring about its the poor communities? How can a human being that could just as well be any one of those people choose to take people’s homes for the World Cup in 2014 and now for the Olympics in 2016? I will never have answers for such actions.

I understand to a minuscule point that it’s all about looking good for some of the biggest events in the world, but at the expense of forcefully evicting more than 170,000 Brazilians homes to leave them to live in the street and possibly even die? You would have to not have any empathy or a soul to make such a decision. I guess that says a lot about Brazil’s governor and how much he cares for his own people. Last time I checked, poor or middle class individuals, regardless of who they are, are still people and work tirelessly day in and day out to make ends meet. Just because he is not in that type of financial situation does not mean it’s OK to make that kind of decision for many other people who depend on their house or apartment to come home to after a hard days' work.

Forced evictions tend to happen in cities that are of high value. This means the people who reside in the outskirts of said city are the ones that get evicted for the expansion of said cities and government projects. Because they lack the structures, or what is considered to be basic public living areas or services, this is who they go after. We all say that in life it is all about survival of the fittest. Well, how about those that never have a say in that decision? There have been riots and even deaths due to these heartless decisions. But can they really be blamed? It is just as much their home as it is to any middle class or higher class individual. The government should not dehumanize them and force them to live on the street just because they feel they are not important. The Olympic Games are made to inspire and celebrate the world, and the people that live in it. The poor communities in Rio should not have to live in fear because of the government or because an athletic organization threatens to take their rights to live where they choose to live.

But this is not only a problem for the people of Rio. Millions of international communities seem to not see the threat this is posing to those communities in Brazil. This could be anyone of them, it could be anyone of us. I am begging for the government to listen and do the right thing. If it was them, would it have been taken the same way if their houses were in danger of being lost? Somehow I doubt they would take this lying down, and they would be right to fight it. This is what the poor communities of Rio are doing. They are fighting to save their lives and their homes, just as any other person would do if it were them. So it is up to us to make this a more important and upfront matter, not something that is buried in the background because of the Olympic Games.

I am not saying Brazil is a terrible country or that we should stop watching the games. I am not saying the Olympics is a terrible organization either. But I am asking Brazil and the Olympic committee be held accountable for inhumane actions such as this. This issue should be taken seriously.

I am not speaking as a so-called “social justice warrior of the internet.” I am speaking as a person who is a debt-rising college student. I am speaking as a person who works three jobs just to be in college so they can eventually get a good paying job to make their family proud. I am a person who has made their way into college not because of having the money to do so, but because of a good GPA and scholarships from people and organizations that believe in my education.

I am speaking as a middle class person who can’t really afford to live in middle class housing to begin with. I am speaking as a person, who like anyone else should, cares for the well being of others, not just myself. This is something that no one should ask for someone to do, and that’s to show basic human compassion for others.

I can identify with certain aspects of this situation. Not just the people in Rio, but with others internationally who face the struggle of not having enough to eat, or barely make it to pay the bills so they have a place to stay. These are real struggles we internationally face as a whole. We should care just as much about those people as we do ourselves or for the people at home here in the United States.