The neighborhood group Argana Viva has denounced that "there are no leisure alternatives for young people in the neighborhood" and that both the youth and the elderly "have no meeting spaces." "Given the lack of other options, many young people in the neighborhood are driven to crime as an activity, violence as an expression, and drugs as an escape," the association claims.
In this regard, Argana Viva states that they have received complaints from residents who live in front of the Sports Palace "since bottle parties are frequently held in this place" and demands "urgent actions" from the institutions.
Likewise, the group reproaches that "after seven years, the Sports Palace has not been reopened." "As a consequence of its abandonment, these events occur in its surroundings," they consider from Argana Viva.
In addition, the group recalls that Clece was awarded the operation of the facilities more than two years ago and criticizes that "the works have not even started yet."
"Non-existent" healthy leisure spaces
According to them, in the neighborhood, the most affected sectors of the population are the elderly and the youth. "There are 3,677 young people, but there is no meeting space for them," they say from the youth commission of the association.
"The absence of cultural, leisure and sports infrastructures, as well as the impossibility of accessing feasible formulas for stability, mean that a high percentage of young people in Argana are at the epicenter of exclusion and, therefore, are driven to crime as an activity, violence as an expression, and drugs as an escape," they insist from the association.
From Argana Viva they point out that they understand on the one hand "the neighbors who complain about the inconvenience caused by the fact that they are placed in front of their homes", but they point out that on the other hand they also observe "the lack of spaces in conditions for youth".
Police absence
On the other hand, Argana Viva criticizes that "in the most populated neighborhood of the municipality, there is no police presence." "The residents of our neighborhood complain about the police absence, which would control these uncivil behaviors and give them a greater sense of security," they assert from the group, from where they hope that the demands they make will be heard and that "the promises they have been telling them for years will be fulfilled.
