The Ateneo Republicano de Vallekas, located at Calle de Arroyo del Olivar, 79, hosted the first meeting of Más Madrid's campaign on Thursday, March 12. During the event, residents of Vallecas had the opportunity to present their issues and suggest solutions directly to the party's spokesperson in the City Council, Rita Maestre.
“"We come from working across Madrid with the campaign 'They are stealing Madrid from you,' and I believe Vallecas has very graphic characteristics, as it is a neighborhood greatly abandoned by the Community and the City Council. It is a very good-bad example of how Madrid is being stolen from us, and it is also a neighborhood where people strongly feel they are not being heard or paid attention to, as if they were second-class citizens."
Maestre emphasized the widespread perception of neglect and mistreatment in the district, as well as a loss of community identity. The councilor highlighted that Puente de Vallecas is one of the districts with the lowest per capita income, highest unemployment rates, and highest school dropout rates in Madrid. She also pointed out a significant imbalance between public services and the population they are meant to serve.
Regarding the dismantling of the Puente de Vallecas scalextric, a recent proposal by Más Madrid in the Retiro Plenary, Rita Maestre stated that its maintenance is a “punishment from the Popular Party to Vallecas for being a working-class and resistant neighborhood.” She affirmed that, if elected mayor of Madrid, her first action would be to begin dismantling this infrastructure to improve air quality for the 20,000 affected residents.
“"Of course it can be dismantled; it requires money and political will."
The spokesperson also criticized the Southern Strategy of the municipal government, calling it “smoke” to conceal the reality that neighborhoods like Vallecas, Villaverde, and Carabanchel receive less attention in terms of cleaning, public services, and healthcare than other areas of Madrid. The event concluded with active listening to residents, who raised issues such as evictions and the rise of drug dens, fostering an atmosphere of solidarity and political support.
