The residents of the occupied and unfinished block on Antoni Fabra i Ribas street, in the La Pastoreta neighborhood of Reus, denounce a worsening of the situation in recent months and demand a definitive action on the property. The building has been abandoned for ten years and drags problems of coexistence and health that, they assure, have intensified.
Among the incidents attributed to the block are accumulated dirt, fires from burning cardboard, alleged drug trafficking, stagnant water, bad smells, and fights. One of the residents of the area, Rafael Pastor, thus summarizes the neighborhood discomfort.
"Every time we're getting worse" - Rafael Pastor, neighbor
An eviction order pending execution
The property is owned by the private company Carmen i Riba SL. The Reus City Council has acted subsidiarily due to the owner's non-appearance and has requested them on several occasions to guarantee the safety and habitability of the building. In addition, it has imposed three coercive fines totaling 4,500 euros for not responding to these requirements.
The council published in the Official State Gazette last March 20 an eviction order and a boarding-up notice. However, those measures were not carried out because people live inside. The City Council now keeps the matter under study and analyzes legal alternatives to resolve the situation.
Detentions and reinforcement of surveillance
In late March, a police operation arrested four squatters from the block after they allegedly carried out a robbery in La Llibertat square. Neighbors also claim to have witnessed an assault in the street in which two individuals beat a woman.
In recent days, a greater police presence has been observed in the area. The City Council maintains that it keeps constant monitoring with police presence and with the collaboration of other security forces. The municipal authorities also committed to carrying out controls at dusk, a time slot in which, according to residents, more movement is concentrated.
"There is movement. What happens is that before there was always some fight. There were groups that seemed to be looking for someone, some settling of scores. Now it has slowed down a bit" - Rafael Pastor, neighbor
The neighbors ask for a stable solution
Two weeks ago, a meeting was held with the Councilor for Citizen Security and Coexistence, Dolors Vázquez, and with the sub-inspector of the Urban Guard, Juan Manuel Cenizo. At that meeting, both informed the residents that the solution could arrive within a period of between one and two months, always according to Rafael Pastor's account.
The main neighborhood demand is to effectively close the building to prevent new occupations and the return of problems. Residents are asking for a definitive boarding up that allows for the recovery of normality in this area of La Pastoreta and that does not force the repetition of the same situation a few weeks later.