This paper discusses the disparate application of environmental laws through the Horto Florestal Community case, in particular, by conducting a comparative analysis of the case to another, geographically similar, example: the Canto e Mello Condominium. The use of environmental arguments to remove the Horto residents is just another chapter in Rio de Janeiro s environmental racism problem. This environmental racism is the product of a series of actions and omissions by Political Authorities, including the non-regularization of people who have resided in public lands for decades based on manifests and permissions reiterated by the Federal Union, as well as measures directly related to the removal of residents. The residents of Horto, in this sense, bare a disproportional share of the environmental consequences, and have access to fewer environmental resources that are present in the area.