Sundsvall’s municipality sounds the alarm: Pulling ropes in the park

The staff raise the alarm about the chaos outside Sundsvall’s municipal building.

People who “show all the glory” and pull ropes on the windowpane are ravaging there.

– They think it’s terrible, says union president Robin Fångsjö.

Sundsvall municipality’s staff no longer stay in Norrmalmsparken outside the municipality building.

The decision to allow alcohol drinking, in order to gather the city’s addicts in one and the same place, has led to “too much madness”, says Vision union president Robin Fångsjö.

Now they follow the chaos from the window instead.

In the “Spritparken”, as it is now called, naked people gather instead who defecate in front of the office windows and who openly inject drugs, which Sundsvall’s newspaper and SVT previously reported on.

– I can say this: it is staff who said they saw people pulling ropes on the windowpane on the first floor, says Robin Fångsjö to Aftonbladet and continues:

– The staff think it’s terrible. They have seen both one and the other. These are people who have no idea if they go and sit behind a bush, show all the glory and relieve themselves in front of those who are sitting and working.

The fights in the park and people who were found sleeping in the entrance of the municipal building have created an insecurity, according to the staff. Now the union is pushing for the alcohol permit in the park to be revoked.

– We had a cooperation meeting where we said that we thought they should close. They said they will evaluate this, says Robin Fångsjö.

“Forbid me no free zone”

The police, who suggested the park as a collection point to do something about the open addiction in Sundsvall, do not share the picture.

– Regardless of the location we chose, it would have caused disruption for the public. People are afraid of something they perceive as alcoholics who are drunk, but the risk of being exposed to crime is extremely small, these people are busy with themselves, says municipal police officer Henrik Blusi and continues:

– I have full respect for the fact that there are people who feel disturbed, but that number is significantly fewer than if it had been in central Sundsvall. From the police’s side, it has become easier to see new addicts, identify them and inform social services when everyone is in the same place.

He strongly opposes the fact that the park would be a “free zone” as reported by some media.

– It is a less suitable vocabulary. The only difference is that you can drink alcohol above 3.5 percent. It’s not a free zone for me.