The presence of more than 150 manteros in it Father Carlos Mugica parkin the neighborhood of Saavedracame to an end today after an operation carried out by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires.
The deployment involved around twenty troops from the City Police10 Prevention agents and 20 inspectors from the Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygiene.
The objective was to dismantle the illegal sale of merchandise that took place on the perimeter of the Carlos Mugica parkwhere the manteros They installed on Saturdays and Sundaysoccupying sidewalks and green areas with tables and structures for sell clothes, food, toys and tools.
This situation, according to the authorities, not only affected the safety and cleanliness of the environment, but also harmed the merchants in the Itinerant Neighborhood Supply Fairs (FIAB)who have authorization to operate in the neighborhood on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
The occupation of the manteros spread to the vicinity of the San Juan Bautista El Precursor parish and it reached meters from the General Paz Avenue collector, in front of Tecnópolis.
According to the GCBA, the installation of the stands made it difficult for residents, families and athletes who usually use the park to circulate. To prevent the situation from repeating itself, The Buenos Aires Government ordered the permanent presence of City personnelboth police officers and Public Space inspectors, in the recovered area.
The head of Government, Jorge Macrihighlighted the continuity of this policy and underlined the change in approach in the management of public space: “Until two years ago, in the City it was natural to coexist with manteros who occupied squares and sidewalks, even in front of commercial premises. Our position is very clear from the beginning: enforce the law and defend the public space that belongs to all neighbors.. It’s not that the laws changed, what changed was the political decision,” he said.
Furthermore, the Buenos Aires mayor announced that the City Government has also recovered, 500 properties usurped and returned them to their rightful owners. Finally, the operation in the Padre Carlos Mugica park was supervised by the Chief of Staff, Gabriel Sánchez Zinnyand the Minister of Security, Horacio Gimenez.
Last September 28, the Saavedra neighborhood also witnessed another operation to evict about 120 illegal positionswho occupied a sector of the Saavedra Parkon García del Río Avenue, between Superí and Freire.
The action, coordinated by the Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygienehad the participation of 30 illegal sales inspectors, 15 prevention and agents from other areas, with support from the City Police.
The procedure was ordered by the Prosecutor’s Office Specialized in Investigation of Complex Crimesin charge of Celsa Ramirezand also supervised by the Chief of Staff, Gabriel Sánchez Zinnytogether with the ministers Horacio Gimenez and Ignacio Baistrocchi.
According to official data, more than 17,000 manteros have been evicted in 11 operational recent, benefiting more than 1.6 million residents and merchants. “The presence of manteros generated disorder, made circulation difficult and affected the safety and cleanliness of the neighborhood, in addition to illegally competing with authorized stallholders,” said the Buenos Aires Government.
Finally, the head of Government, Jorge Macristated: “We removed the manteros from Parque Saavedra and organized the space for the neighbors and merchants. It was a demand from those who live in the neighborhood, and the fair continues to operate normally. In the City, the order is not negotiated”.
