Between the Rayo stadium and the Puente de Vallecas boulevard, there is no more than ten minutes on foot. During the day, the streets, shops and terraces of this multicultural neighborhood are full of life. When night begins to fall, many neighbors voluntarily impose a curfew on themselves, because the neighborhood becomes an epicenter of drug consumption and trafficking, as well as a battlefield for the two Latino gangs present: the Ñetas and the Trinitarios.
The tension, which is manifested both by the number of fights and by the graffiti calling for “the war between the gangs”has increased this summer and is frightening both residents and those who have businesses in the area.
Fermin [nombre ficticio] He moved to Puente de Vallecas only a few years ago, aware of the problems in the neighborhood. However, he assures that in recent months it has suffered “quite a bit of damage.” The Trinitarios have taken over the boulevard of Peña Gorbea Street and they have transformed it into their particular center of operations. They move freely on the terraces, “without consuming and even without paying”, and they have, according to the inhabitants of this neighborhood, commercial premises under threat.
A few weeks ago, the resistance of one of the restaurants cost its owners new chairs, tables and awnings, because these young people they set it on fire One morning, “The terraces serve as a place of surveillance, that’s why they want to dominate them,” explain other residents of the houses located around this boulevard.
A National Police officer identifies a young man
Fermín is clear: “If I had children, I would run away from here. “This is not a place to raise a child.” Not only because they have been able to see on several occasions drug addicts taking drugs on the road public and in broad daylight, but because of the ease of finding these narcotic substances. “They hide the bags in the street and in very bad ways. Almost anyone can find it,” he emphasizes. Thus, in flower pots, sewers, between bushes or on the wheels of parked vehicles are some of the most known places.
However, drugs are not the only thing that has surprised the residents of Vallecas Boulevard. Cases for bladed weapons and the big sticks inside the counter compartments or the big machetes above the awnings of the shops are some of the examples that the inhabitants of the neighborhood regret having to tell.
The Ñetas are near the Rayo Vallecano stadium, the Trinitarios on the boulevard and the Latin King in Ensanche
It is not uncommon for police officers to identify young people, some even minors, who are traveling on the road on scooters, as early as midday. These, as Marisa and Laura point out to the newspaper – they also prefer to remain anonymous and give fictitious names for fear of possible reprisals – are dedicated to monitoring the perimeter. “go around the area 15 times” and whistle in case they see a threat approaching.
“They do everything under our noses. If you look a little, you can see everything,” says Marisa, whose house is also located around this territory dominated by the Trinitarians. “These are things we are not used to.” we don’t even want to get used to it” he insists.
Latino gang graffiti on a street in Puente de Vallecas
These neighbors also claim to feel “watched” and even “threatened” by these individuals. Going down to have a drink on the terraces of Peña Gorbea Boulevard is an impossible mission for them.We don’t feel safe“They gather in a corner, form their own ghetto and watch us,” says another neighbor.
Neighbors’ concerns have grown this summer. With news of gang shootings in the capital and the recent incident in which a 23-year-old was left with one arm and stabbed in the back, those living among gangs describe unbearable insecurity at the doors of their homes. And the worst part is that they don’t believe that change is going to happen. “How many fights have there been this summer?” “Are they waiting for something to happen to a neighbor before they act?” they wonder in a low voice, in case an unwanted spectator is listening in on their conversation.
“In this area are the Ñetas, the Trinitarios of Vallecas Boulevard [muy cerca del puente] and the Latin kings reign in Entrevías. This territorial map A few weeks ago, Juan, a 26-year-old Colombian and friend of the young man who saw that he had suffered a semi-amputation of his arm, explained this to this same newspaper.
This fight occurred after the Trinitarios attacked the Ñetas while they were drinking alcohol on some fields located a few meters from the Rayo Vallecano stadium. However, this action will not go unpunished, according to a member of the gang in the same information collected by ABC.
Aware of this context and the increase in graffiti that manifests a “gang war” in the streets near Vallecas Boulevard, the neighbors are more afraid than ever and demand tougher measures against those involved in these criminal activities. “These graffiti outwardly reflect the tension that exists between them. We have certainly noticed no more tension now than a few months ago,” Fermín concludes.
The National Police Prefecture assures this newspaper that no other reinforcements have been made in recent days. Neighbors claim that there are “a hell of a police presence” in the area, although they stress that they would appreciate more troops at night, “when there are the most problems.”
Thus, the deputy mayor for security of the Madrid City Council requested a few weeks ago that the government delegation take measures to remedy this situation. “urgently” with a strengthening of police forces and legal means and tools so that these events “do not go unpunished”.
