Opinion piece by Alfonso Callejero: Accepting that seeing people sleeping on the street is normal should not be acceptable.
As a society with civic, ethical, and moral values, we cannot afford to walk along the Paseo de la Constitución and stare at our feet or take out our phones, trying to ignore the fifty people who sleep, suffer, lie, and spend their time in a sad and ignominious (to us) silence. Waiting for someone to stop a van, open the door for them, and for them to work for something resembling a wage that day.
How did we come to not (want to) see them?
And our local politicians take advantage of this invisibility, using them as political fodder. Their sole purpose is to throw them at "the other side" in their eternal battle for the spotlight, clickbait, and to "be right." But ultimately, these are just excuses to fall into the "whataboutism" we've come to expect.
Thus, the opposition opened the debate, and somewhat clumsily, the City Council left the mayor to face the music alone. All he could do was deflect blame and resort to past statements. At this point, setting aside the inherent factors of the past, he is the one in power now, and therefore the responsibility to act lies with the current administration and, consequently, with the mayor, without any excuses.
It's true that a city council has limited powers in the face of this social crisis. However, it's equally true that the governing team touted the seasonal workers' accommodations as the solution, and as we see every day, that hasn't been the case, not by a long shot. And if this solution isn't sufficient or effective, those in power have an obligation to stop making excuses and find the best solutions to tackle this social problem.
Because if we enter into the political battle, the affected people without homes to sleep will lose their humanity, their problems and needs, their tragedy of sleeping for months in the street or in the storms of recent days. They will become just another element, as I said, in the political battle, a means to confront rather than an end to be solved.
And consequently, when the noise of this political battle dies down and shifts to another focus, we will once again forget that there are people sleeping on the streets. They will continue to be exposed to the elements without a shred of humanity or empathy. In other words, the political noise will not have generated a solution that dignifies their stay and work in Fraga.
Finally, here, as a society, out of dignity, empathy, moral principles and solidarity, is when we must be demanding of our politicians and ask them for fewer battles, confrontation and excuses, and more real and effective solutions so that this social and human drama no longer exists today.
