His daughter turns five this Tuesday, but for Joaquín and his family, there is no celebration today. He is one of the forced out residents of the Chasna building in Arona, and like the rest of the 210 people who reside in this property, woke up in the middle of a mandatory, improvised, and rushed move. “It’s unfair,” says the young man.
Joaquín holds back tears as he mentions his little one. Behind him, his neighbours are busy packing all their belongings into bags. All this just minutes before the official eviction proceeds.
The young man, employed at a hotel accommodation, is torn between anger and sorrow… and the uncertainty of not knowing what the future holds for him and his family.
Among the main grievances of the evicted individual is the helplessness to which, he claims, the residents of the Chasna building have been subjected to. “The mayor came and said she would meet with the court, but the day has arrived and we know nothing, she hasn’t returned,” criticises Joaquín, who also questions the motives of the Arona City Council for removing them from their homes.
“It’s a lie that it’s falling apart,” reiterates the young man before explaining that the tenants have been living in those houses for many years “and not a single stone has fallen.” “They could have let us stay here for at least three months,” he adds.
Where to go?
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Having to leave their homes, where they have also put in effort and cherished countless memories, the fact that they have nowhere to go adds to their situation. “They say there are no resources but how much money has been spent on this eviction, all this police presence and on petrol?”, Joaquín wonders.
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Furthermore, he criticises the fact that they are also being blamed for this situation when they are victims. “We don’t want to live for free, we wish,” he says after precisely explaining his family’s financial situation.
“I work in a hotel, I earn 1,200 euros and could afford a rental of 900, as food is already taken care of,” explains Joaquín before pointing out that they haven’t even been provided with a temporary alternative. “At the hotel where I work, we could have a hundred rooms available tomorrow,” he assures.
The scenario
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The Chasna building is located in the vicinity of the boundary between Arona and San Miguel de Abona, on the road from Costa del Silencio to Guargacho. Its construction was never completed «and it has been abandoned for 53 years. Many things happened here for a long time, including deaths,” explains one of the affected by the eviction, Juan José López. “We are hard-working people here, a butcher, bricklayers…”
Up until now, 210 individuals have been residing in 44 dwellings in a property that presents structural issues and a risk of collapse that have prompted the judicial ruling. Many of the residents have recently stated that they have nowhere else to stay.
