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«If you steal from our grandparents, face the consequences.»

The neighbourhood watch patrols of Bellvitge (L'Hospitalet) put up signs at the entrances to the neighbourhood to warn criminals of what they can expect to find there.

Image of one of the signs at the entrance to Bellvitge (L'Hospitalet)

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The residents of Bellvitge, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, have decided to take matters into their own hands in the face of a rise in thefts and assaults, especially against the elderly. This week, several entrances to the neighbourhood have appeared with posters bearing the blunt message: «If you steal from our grandparents, face the consequences.». Behind the initiative are the Neighbourhood patrols, Organised groups of residents who patrol the streets at night to deter criminals and protect the most vulnerable neighbours.

The members of these patrols denounce a a sense of impunity on the part of the authorities and an insufficient police presence. They maintain that it is not about violence, but rather active surveillance. But the message is clear: «In Bellvitge, we neighbours will not be silenced.».

A working-class neighbourhood tired of the decline

Bellvitge is one of the most emblematic and popular neighbourhoods in L'Hospitalet.born in the 1960s as a council estate, Built to accommodate thousands of immigrant families arriving from other parts of Spain. With large blocks of flats, open spaces and a very active social fabric, Bellvitge has historically been an example of community organisation and neighbourhood activism.

Nevertheless, in recent decades the neighbourhood has undergone a process of urban and social decline. Unemployment, precariousness, a lack of public investment and the arrival of organised crime have fuelled a sense of institutional abandonment. Neighbours say that assaults on the elderly, thefts of mobile phones and handbags, and squatting in flats have increased.. And in the face of inaction, some have decided to take action.

Between self-organisation and despair

The neighbourhood patrols in Bellvitge are not new. They have already emerged at other times of tension, but the current wave of crime has sparked collective outrage. The «warnings» poster is just one example: a clear warning to criminals, but also a cry for help to the authorities..

While the institutions pretend that nothing is happening, Bellvitge has decided not to wait any longer. And it does so with what it has always had: self-organisation, neighbourhood pride and a collective memory that does not forget where it comes from.

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