Collectives and citizens of Mazatlán demonstrated to demand the reopening of beach accesses that have been closed by private developments, stating that these closures violate their right to free access to the beaches.
During the protest, the protesters removed a fence that obstructed the passage, as part of a series of actions to recover their public spaces.
Lilia Orrante, representative of the protesters, stressed that this situation has affected residents for years.
“Two years ago we had to knock down a fence, today they put up a wall and an electric fence preventing us from passing,” she said.
According to Orrante, the accesses, which should be public, have been restricted without adequate justification, affecting not only the assets of the neighbors, but also their quality of life.
“We lost the most beautiful thing we have in Mazatlán, free access to the beaches,” she said.
The residential tower known as Torre Perla has been pointed out as one of those responsible for the closure of accesses.
“The architect Paul Maldonado granted an improper construction permit to the Perla Tower, commonly called Perl Tower,” said Orrante.
The protester also considered that these acts could imply corruption.
“We are assuming acts of corruption, this peaceful demonstration is to call the attention of the three levels of government, because they have not paid attention to us,” she added.
The citizens pointed out that, in addition to legal actions, they have requested the direct intervention of the mayor to solve the problem.
“The most decent thing would be for our mayor to come and open the way for the people of Mazatlán, to whom we gave our vote,” said Orrante. However, she criticized the lack of response.
“I feel disappointed, because right now he is already leaving and he no longer cares. He only sent public security to us, why doesn’t he send us the architect Paul?”
The protesters also warned about the consequences of closures in emergency situations.
Orrante explained that the restrictions affect the response capacity of the rescue services.
“Imagine if someone drowns or has an accident on that beach, how are the Red Cross or the rescue teams going to get in if there is no access?” he asked.
Source: elsoldemazatlan
