The Other Side of Maricarmen: Neighbors Who Didn't Support Her

Maricarmen's neighbors: 'We know what the coexistence was like'

What remains of an eviction when the symbol clashes with the account of those living door-to-door? Maricarmen, 87, was evicted on September 23 from number 46 Alcalde Sainz de Baranda Street in the Retiro district. Her case filled Puerta del Sol, inspired a Spanish housing decree (Real Decreto de Vivienda), and turned a facade into an improvised memorial site. What it failed to do was unite the neighbors.

What is the status of Maricarmen's return?

Trinc the eviction, Urbagestión and the woman’s representatives reached an agreement mediated by EMVS allowing her to return once discharged from the hospital. The deal includes an eight-year lease and rent capped at 30% of her net income, roughly 500 euros monthly. According to the Tenants' Union (Sindicato de Inquilinas), she remains hospitalized at Gregorio Marañón undergoing tests, with her condition described as 'really complicated.'

A few kilometers away, the Puerta del Sol encampment entered its sixth night with hundreds in tents. The union announced pot-banging protests outside city halls and new demonstrations for the weekend. On October 1, the first of the Spanish government's housing decrees takes effect, already known as the Maricarmen Decree.

What the plaque dividing the street says

The inscription on the facade reads: 'Maricarmen, 87, a resident here since 1955, was evicted from this home.' It then lists the full names of two businessmen who owned the company executing the eviction. That is where the problem begins.

A neighbor reading the plaque argues that naming two individuals 'incites hatred' and believes the protest distorted what peine. The pastry shop owner next door—the chocolatier occupying the ground floor adjacent building—went further, calling police to demand its removal.

'No one from the building came out to support her'

The story heard on the sidewalk contradicts that heard in Sol. A resident claims no one from the building came out to support her on the day of the protest, attributing the mobilization to outsiders. According to her version, coexistence with Maricarmen was tense, describing treatment she calls despotic, particularly toward the doorman. These are neighbors' claims, not proven facts, and should be taken as part of the conflict, not its resolution.

The rooftop, the banner, and purchases on credit

The pastry shop owner says he has known Maricarmen for decades, when the business belonged to his grandparents. He recalls her buying on credit and presenting herself as a civil servant to claim authority she didn't deserve. His account paints a deteriorated relationship long before her name appeared on banners and headlines.

He also claims that during the protest, someone used the building's roof to jump to the adjacent building where his family lives, hanging a banner that was eventually cut down. His conclusion is that if someone were truly having their life made impossible, he would be the first to take to the streets.

The plaque remains on the facade, the woman stays in the hospital, and the decree takes effect regardless. An entire street has its own version; the Official State Gazette (BOE), another. Only one of the two can be removed with a single phone call.