Open-air latrine, fighting ring, place of dealing, drug and alcohol consumption and den of stragglers: this is the visiting card of the gardens of the former guesthouse. Right in the centre, the entrance is from Corso Tacito and in front of the “Galilei” scientific high school, where there is a second entrance, there is a free zone where citizens cannot enter because the park is literally occupied by those who use it as dormitory, as a latrine for doing one’s needs, for dealing and consuming drugs and alcohol. Yet now in Terni there is also private security, but the cars are too often parked in absolutely quiet areas of the city and which certainly do not require a permanent security presence. In chronological order, the last episode reported to us dates back to yesterday afternoon, 25 June, when a foreign citizen felt ill lying on a bench. 118 health workers arrived on site and rescued the man in an evident state of psychophysical alteration. There are even security cameras, we imagine they are working.
The commitments and promises on the ‘occupied’ park
In April there was the inspection of the 1st Commission, requested by Alberto Cagnoli, treasurer of the San Gemini Terni Lions Club (son of Bruno Cagnoli to whom the park is dedicated, ed.), with the participation of councilor Viviana Altamura. According to Cagnoli’s vision, the park should become a point of reference for music, art and entertainment events. The Municipality has a collaboration agreement with the Lions until 2025, thanks to which the area should be redeveloped: in the meantime, however, it continues to be occupied and unusable for the citizens who would have at their disposal a green space in the center which, especially in summer, it could be an additional resource, given that the city does not offer great alternatives.
Fixed presence, but when?
Councilor Viviana Altamura, again on the occasion of the inspection of the 1st Commission, had promised a permanent presence with which the problem would have to be resolved. Thinking about it: what is the point of private surveillance by Mayor Bandecchi, with cars stopped in various areas of the city? It was April, now we are almost in July, perhaps something more could have been done while waiting for the funds from the collaboration agreement with the Lions to arrive. Also because, it seems clear, it doesn’t take that long to remedy this shameful situation which has even become a problem for the city.
Francesco Maria Ferranti’s question
In February Francesco Maria Ferranti (FI) presented a question regarding the “degradation, poor care of public green areas, people bivouacking, glass bottles, dogs even without a leash and danger for citizens who frequent the area”. “The situation – Ferranti had commented – confirms again that the private police authorized only to observe, does not solve the problem in a very central area of the city and does not even fulfill the function of alerting the police who would otherwise have intervened. It almost comes to the point that the only function it performs is to park the ‘toy cars’ in front of Palazzo Spada”. And on the employment by the Local Police he commented: “The agents – they are used for continuous fine raids especially within the restricted traffic zone. The local police are not directed to carry out control and prevention activities.”
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