The request from FRAVM, which represents nearly 300 entities, follows recent violent incidents affecting the city, including two deaths in the past weeks in Parque Paraíso (San Blas-Canillejas) and Palomeras Bajas (Puente de Vallecas). The federation criticizes political disputes and demands that officials prioritize citizen well-being.
“"We are fed up with the daily noise generated by your political conflicts, and as citizens, we demand that you work together to solve the problems we suffer. If you could agree to organize the arrangements for the Pope's visit, you can and should also do so to prevent more violent deaths of young people in our streets and improve security in our neighborhoods."
While the federation welcomes the meeting called by the Government Delegation for this Friday regarding conflicts around Parque Paraíso, it insists on the need for a stable and comprehensive working space. For over a year, FRAVM and the San Blas Neighborhood Platform have called for the creation of a Security and Coexistence Table in the San Blas-Canillejas district.
FRAVM has identified several districts where the security situation is a priority and requires coordinated action. These include San Blas-Canillejas (especially Simancas and Parque Paraíso), Puente de Vallecas (Entrevías and San Diego), Centro (Embajadores), Carabanchel (Opañel, Plaza de Oporto, Alto de San Isidro, and Pan Bendito), Latina (Caño Roto and Lucero), Usera (San Fermín), and Villaverde (San Cristóbal de los Ángeles).
The organization regrets that, in the last twelve months, only the San Cristóbal Security and Coexistence Table has been established, and only technicians participated, excluding neighborhood groups. They emphasize that these tables should include the Government Delegation, the Community of Madrid, the Madrid City Council, the National Police, the Municipal Police, Social Services, and neighborhood associations to design plans tailored to each neighborhood.
Despite Madrid being considered a safe region, FRAVM warns of chronic problems worsening in the mentioned areas. They attribute these issues to social exclusion, lack of public investment, overcrowding due to the housing crisis, the presence of violent youth gangs, deteriorating public spaces, drug trafficking, and the weakening of public services. Therefore, they urge combining urgent security measures with public policies for social investment and prevention.
The federation criticizes the inadequacy of municipal investments and the absence of initiatives from the Community of Madrid and the central Government in these neighborhoods. Additionally, FRAVM has presented a series of specific demands to the three administrations to improve security and coexistence, including regulatory changes, reinforcement of personnel, and social investment plans.
