The area where the benches once stood was subsequently removed
The Municipality of Piacenza has taken steps to remove six benches in the small green area between via Samorè and via Gambara, in the Corpus Christi area of the Farnesiana district of Piacenza.
dealing and degradation the reasons for the decision
The decision was made after constant complaints from residents, who – often immortalizing them with their cell phones – had reported continuous episodes of drug dealing and violence right inside the little garden, involving very young boys. Especially during the night hours the benches, according to what was gathered, were used as bivouac for drug dealing.
the removal does not convince RESIDENTS
“A halfway solution, which in any case does not solve the problem” commented some of the residents themselves. “Those benches, during the day, are used by the elderly and children. Removing them just because of some people doesn’t seem like the most correct solution to us.”
the words of the councilor for urban decorum
“At certain times these benches were used in an inappropriate way, hence their elimination” replied the councilor for urban decorum Matte Bongiornijustifying the decision. “I personally conducted, together with the local police and the maintenance workers of the Municipality, much more than an inspection in that area: our decision is dictated precisely by the proposals that emerged from the neighborhood groups, which they had made an explicit request to remove these benches. Of course, limiting public space in some way always equates to a defeat, but it is equally true that certain contingent situations, and this one was one, often impose painful choices. Obviously, our hope is that the benches can soon be reinstalled, as has already happened in other cases where similar action had been taken. I conclude by saying that there is a series of other micro-works in the pipeline, such as the arrangement of the flooring, some ad hoc pruning and the renovation of some walls, which are part of the context of the redevelopment of the area”.
new episodes of degradation in the area
In the meantime, reports of unpleasant episodes within the neighborhood are multiplying. The other night a dog that escaped its owner (which according to whoever filmed the scene would be a so-called “maranza”) he wandered undisturbed for several minutes in the area adjacent to the church. “We can’t take it anymore”, the bitter comment of those who live in these parts. “We are often afraid to go out in the evening, for fear of running into one of these characters.”
The “war on benches” to prevent episodes of degradation and disturbance of public peace is not new in our city: in 2015, in fact, the case of the benches eliminated on the stretch of Facsal between Piazzale Roma and Piazzale Libertà aroused quite a bit of controversy.
