Cracolândia: SP City Hall transforms Princess Isabel Square into a municipal park

Cracolândia: SP City Hall transforms Princess Isabel Square into a municipal park

The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), signed without vetoes, this Wednesday (15), the bill (PL) that transforms Praça Princesa Isabel into a municipal park.

The place became known as the “new Cracolândia” since mid-March, and was the target of an operation by the Civil Police at the beginning of last month, which became the target of an investigation by the Public Ministry.

The measure had been approved by the councilors of São Paulo, this Tuesday (14), in a symbolic vote – in which votes are not counted.

PL 329/2022 justifies the transformation into a municipal park as a way of seeking “the protection of the ecological heritage, the preservation of the environment and the revitalization of the historic center of our city”.

The project was presented by councilor Fabio Riva (PSDB), and co-authors are councilors Sandra Santana (PSDB), Thammy Miranda (PL), Sandra Tadeu (União Brasil), Rodrigo Goulart (PSD), Fernando Holiday (Novo) , Rubinho Nunes (União Brasil) and Isac Felix (PL).

During the discussion in the Chamber, councilor Fabio Riva argued that the project “is born from a desire of the community and society around Praça Princesa Isabel”.

“This project is not hygienist and has no financial fund,” said councilor Rute Costa (PSDB), who also defended the PL.

During the symbolic vote, councilors from PT and PSOL took a stand against the project.

“I object to the project, because it seems that the intention is to limit this access to people, especially those who are often impoverished and eventually using drugs as in the space there in Cracolândia”, said councilman Eduardo Suplicy (PT).

“We are not against the creation of a park, we are against restricting public space. This will generate insecurity, even more so in the midst of the Cracolândia debate”, argued councilor Luana Alves (PSOL).

Public Ministry opens investigation to investigate actions by the city hall in Cracolândia

On May 13, the Public Ministry of São Paulo launched an inquiry to investigate the “regularity of the interventions carried out by the City of São Paulo” in Cracolândia, according to a statement from the institution.

The process also aims to investigate the subsequent steps to actions in relation to users of drugs such as crack, among others.

The promoters will assess the flow of voluntary or forced hospitalization of drug addicts, the treatment applied to them, the approach to possible street people who, although in the region, are not drug addicts, among other aspects of the operations. According to the MPSP, it will also be determined whether the hospitalization of users was the “bigger objective to be achieved as a result of each user approach”.

For MPSP members, “the actions now launched by the Public Power have great similarities with previous interventions that, through physical and psychological violence, impelled drug addicts to seek treatment, and after spending millions of reais, they failed”, declared the agency in a note.

Source: CNN Brasil