Vasto District: Residents organize against urban decay: "We're being forced to replace the state."

NIn the heart of Naples, a few steps from the Central Station, the Vasto neighborhood is experiencing an unprecedented crisis.

Between illegal building, drug dealing, violence, and illegal markets, residents describe it as a veritable "souk of lawlessness." The area, now in the grip of decay for years, has become a no-man's land. And with law enforcement stretched thin, some have decided to wait no longer.

For several evenings, spontaneous groups of citizens have begun patrolling the streets, organizing night patrols to stem the flow of decay and crime. A desperate response to a situation that has gone beyond its limits.

"We can't live in fear any longer," says one of the organizers. "The institutions are passing the buck. We were forced to intervene. But how long can we hold out? The other night, one of us was attacked."

The mobilization attracted the attention of the Green-Left Alliance MP, Francesco Emilio Borrelli, who has long been committed to combating the abandonment of the suburbs: "It's unacceptable that honest citizens have to take the place of the state to ensure the safety of their homes. This isn't civic duty; it's desperation. We need constant monitoring, more patrols, and a social and urban redevelopment plan."

Giampiero Perrella, councilor of the II Municipality for Europa Verde, agrees: "Vasto has been transformed into an urban refugee camp where degradation and crime reign supreme. We can't leave citizens to fend for themselves. We need coordinated and ongoing action between the Municipality, the Prefecture, and law enforcement."

The neighborhood, a symbol of institutional abandonment, now demands concrete answers. Before the distrust in the state becomes definitive.