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Lentini: between social inclusion and confiscations
Imagine a society that has always been deprived of lands, which had been managed by the mafia for years and think of how good it could be to give back these stolen goods to citizens in order to create new possibilities and work chances providing restructured goods which give a new life to places that had been damaged by crime for many years. Analyzing regional data, from Palermo to Catania, from Trapani to Agrigento, from Messina to Ragusa, it emerged that 802 structures and 768 lanes are unused.
Why should we not try to provide the possibility to redeem them? LiberaTerra involves many companies which joined the fellowship and it was founded by Gian Carlo Caselli and Don Luigi Ciotti. This association manages the redevelopment of confiscated lands in Lentini, owned by Giuseppe Montana, an Italian policeman, police commissioner of Palermo’s flying squad, killed by the men of Cosa nostra because of his work against injustice and organised crime.
Unfortunately data reveal a deep defeat for the antimafia organisations, since the remaining 55% of the goods have been left unused due to the lack of necessary resources of the reconversion (about 36,11%) of failed start up or of failed completion (30,57%), employment by third parties with or without permission (6,82%), public advices for assignment of desert goods (3,06%), structures in undivided share. The regional anti - mafia commission highlighted another alarming aspect in its last report: out of 780 only 39 are actually used. For what concerns destined ones, out of 459 only 11 haven’t been liquidated.
In order to have a clear perception of the context that surrounds us, a survey has been promoted, about the level of knowledge local companies have in the fight against crime, that has involved the entire school. The sample examined counts 94 answers: 81 students are between 13 and 19 years old; the majority of the answers were registered by 16 years old students (24%); the minority was registered by 13 and 19 years old teens (2%).
The 87,2% of the interviewed knows something about the phenomenon of the confiscation of assets, while the 54,3% is aware about Libera. Even less students know about Libera Terra. Even fewer students know about Libera Terra. The 51,1% of us is aware of the existence of these confiscated goods in our territory. In particular, the 29,8% of the interviewed associate the phenomenon of confiscated goods to the company “Libera terra Leontinoi - Cooperative Beppe Montana”, while the 38,3% has heard about “The Farm of legality”. Furthermore, research has been conducted about the local, regional and national context of the percentage of confiscated goods that returns commercially active. Of more than 36000 real estates (cadastral parcels) confiscated since 1982, only 48% had been destined to the national agency for institutional and social purposes, but 5 goods out of 10 still need to be destined. The research in local field produced the following results: 33 properties are handled by antimafia fellowships. 31 of these are agricultural lands, 1 as an ex rural building, 1 is a shop, about 1370 are procedures under management and between them 156 are criminal proceedings and 1214 are in precautional measure.
The business companies are 967 among which especially hotels (64), agricultural (76), financial (6), public services (116), estate activities (56), craft activities (34), family-handled activities (3), wholesale retail trade (182), buildings (311), mineral extractions (13), fishing and related services (3), production and distribution of electricity, gas and water (29), health and social assistance (5), transports (5), communications and warehousing (47). Less than half of these goods (45%) are not managed by these companies anymore. For what concerns the provincial data, we know that destined properties are 1416, among which we can distinguish agricultural fields (39), condominium flats (35), garages (15), lands with rural buildings (14), not defined lands (1), estates units not defined (15), various properties (15). Among all these goods, only 32,3% had resumed its commercial activity.
In Sicily, only 106 among the total of the confiscated wares are actually commercially active or they are freed from state management.
The issue of the launching on the market of confiscated goods not only concerns Sicily but the entire nation. Because of this, it was founded the “Agenzia nazionale per l’amministrazione e la destinazione dei beni sequestrati e confiscati alla criminalità organizzata” also well known as Ansbc. The analysis of national data allows us to affirm that about 36 616 goods have been confiscated until today. Among them, about 17 300 have intended by national agency, 19 309 are handled by Ansbc and more than 11 000 are definitely confiscated while the others still need to be allocated since they pose many critical aspects (due to undivided shares, urban irregularity, abusive occupation and precarious structural conditions), or they even set aside waiting for checks by creditors.
According to a reconnaissance started in 2019 by the national agency on a sample of 6000 estates intended for common management, it turns out that out of 2 600 goods more than the half of them has been reused.
It was established in 2010 and works under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior and its main object is to provide the destination and management of those goods that can be owned by the state definitely or in a temporary way until they will be intended to other companies.
Cooperation, initiative spirit and commitment are a crucial social and economic resource for our territory. Libera Terra leads essential values and becomes a concrete symbol of the resurrection from the ashes of a territory which has a lot of excellent products to offer and presents a new world characterised by justice, hope and ransom.
