- Uribarri's neighbours and the Beste Bi platform have recalled the young evicted man who died in Bilbao and have reminded the local neighbours. They have asked society not to look ahead to this reality, to take care of itself as a community, and to the administration to strengthen public resources and social services in order to care for people in situations of exclusion, and to put in place a social census once and for all that guarantees a dignified life.
The 23-year-old who died in Bilbao was known in the Uribarri district for playing the guitar at the door of a neighborhood store. Born in Poland, he was called Peter and had been in the Basque capital for about two years. I slept in the city hostel and by day lived on the street. The number of homeless people has increased during the pandemic, recalled the Beste Bi platform, which has called on administrations to “efficiently develop the social services portfolio and update and activate the overall strategy.” It has also asked the municipalities to launch the social census, “an essential tool for all people to have access to social rights and benefits”.
Along the same lines, local neighbours have stressed the need for resources. "Peter hasn't been the first person to die on the street and it's not going to be the last. The system didn't care. So that it does not happen again, we will multiply the social and community struggle: so that they do not speculate with housing, so that they do not cut social services, so that they guarantee the conditions for a dignified life… so that all people who need help, no matter where they come from.”
Given the lack of resources, neighbours have stressed the importance of the importance of mutual care. “Peter’s corner becomes a scream for anti-capitalist and community struggle.”