Palermo, following the break with the Zen school, has made a pact of legality with the Municipality.

Last Updated: August 7, 2023

Palermo, dopo lo strappo con la scuola allo Zen patto di legalità con il Comune

#Palermo
The struggle against discomfort and forms of marginality in the Zen district of Palermo continues, while outside the Giovanni Falcone school, mountains of garbage regenerate every day.

The network agreement between social parties and institutions, which aims to develop the positive energies of the neighborhood and spread a culture of legality by requalifying the area, is signed at the symbolic location of the fight against degradation, which was recently affected by the judicial earthquake involving former principal Daniela Lo Verde.

Mayor Roberto Lagalla, Prefect Maria Teresa Cucinotta, current acting principal Domenico Di Fatta, and future principal Massimo Valentino, who will start in September, try to heal the deep wound by signing the protocol strongly advocated by the social activities councillor, Rosi Pennino.

The protocol aims to promote a more intense fight, with outlined action points that include more accessible paths for regularization of residents who want to “exit the condition of illegality in order to obtain legitimate housing,” and interventions for the recovery and regeneration of structures and environments, involving the inhabitants, especially the younger ones, in the requalification processes.

“It is the result of an agreement that in recent months has seen us share a path,” explained Pennino, “which started immediately after the unpleasant events that involved this school.” The protocol will serve as the framework for collaboration among all actors, from associations to institutions, marking the first step “starting from the common planning of Ruis (Urban Redevelopment, Infrastructure, and Security): one and a half million euros for the regeneration of the Opian center. We will also see the return of social workers to the neighborhood, their role being very important for the many issues related to poverty and needs.”

“The instrument of involvement and co-responsibility becomes prevalent and necessary,” underlines the mayor. “In this perspective, the network that is being signed today between associations, institutions, and social operators in the neighborhood is moving. I am absolutely convinced of the value of the testimony of those who commit themselves and do so for the common good,” he continued. “Certainly, there has been a fall in this paradigm here, but it has promptly been replaced by managerial initiative. From September 1st, there will be a new principal. We must continue to believe in institutions, involving citizens in a form of co-responsibility for the city. Our message must be directed not only to families but also to the younger ones. And the school is a powerful amplifier of these values.”

Outside the school, however, neglect and degradation continue to proliferate in plain sight of the institutions. The territory is plagued by the continuous phenomenon of waste migration, and even this morning, after the recent work of the Rap operators, the piles welcomed the arrival of official vehicles. “We are considering new forms of territory control,” said the mayor. “We are trying to work with all means available to us. We are imagining alternative forms of territory control from autumn onwards. It is evident that waste migration is a certain and proven fact, as well as the reformation of landfills in places affected by extraordinary cleaning. In short, beyond daily action, we need to strengthen controls and involve citizens. I have been saying this since I took office, we won’t be able to do anything if citizens do not accept to cooperate.”