Notorious Vandal Strikes Again - The Florentine

4
Thursday 20 October 2005
Florence NEWS
News in BRIEF
Bargello Casts First Stone
A piece of a pietra serena recently
fell from the main façade of the
Bargello Museum. The stone fell
from a height of 30 metres, breaking
on the sidewalk near the main
entrance of the museum on Via
della Vigna Vecchia). No one was
struck by the falling stone, and
Bargello technicians, fi re-fi ghters,
and restoration workers, who restored
the museum seven years
ago, were called to the scene.
Museum directors have often
complained of the vibrations the
tower must sustain due to passing
buses on Via del Proconsolo.
Authorities deny any correlation
between the traffi c and the condition
of the tower.
Bribes For Better Health Care
Eighteen obstetricians and a
department head at the Careggi
Hospital have been accused of
abuse of offi ce. All are currently
under investigation for having
taken payments in exchange for
better assistance to patients in
the maternity ward. The department
head is also currently under
investigation for assigning forpay
rooms only to those patients
who were willing to adhere to the
“special service” fee. According
to sources, guaranteed service
could cost anywhere from 500 to
800 euros. Upon paying the sum,
mothers-to-be would be guaranteed
assistance during delivery
from the obstetrician of their
choice, regardless of established
hospital shifts. This practice is
said to have been ongoing at
Careggi for more than four years.
News
Fewer Traffic Accidents
But Mortality Still High
Safety Campaign Doesn’t Reach Bottom Line
The road to safe traffic conditions
continues to be a long
one. Florence is in third place,
after Rimini and Milan, as the city
with the highest level of risk factors,
and it ranked fourth with regards to
number of traffic victims wounded
annually. One of the city’s first steps
to reduce risk factors has been to
increase the number of fines and
tickets issued to violators. According
to a recent estimate, the number
of traffic violations spotted by hidden
cameras will reach over 800
thousand by the end of 2005. Other
safety measures include an increase
in urban police officers, far-reaching
awareness-raising campaigns against
drunk driving, and an increasing
number of mandatory alcohol tests
at local clubs (where 41 percent of
dancers are said to leave under the
influence of alcohol).
According to statistics initially
published in Quattroruote magazine,
the safety verdict is clear:
there are currently 1000 fewer
accidents in Florence compared
to two years ago. According to the
Municipal Police website, Florentine
traffic accidents equal 3,704,
and include 24 deaths. These statistics
were recently confirmed by
the Florentine City Police during
their 151st anniversary celebration
of the Force’s founding. While statistics
do indicate fewer accidents,
the news is not all good. The same
statistics also show an increase in
traffic mortality rates. According
to Alessandro Bartolini, head of
Florence’s Municipal Police Force,
the reason is simple. “The increase
is due to the fast and progressive
substitution of four-wheeled automobiles
for two-wheeled vehicles.
The latter are notoriously more
dangerous in the event of traffic
accidents,” Bartolini explains.
Alcohol Blamed for American’s
Fall From Balcony
Tragedy Increases Support for New Policies in Florentine Bars
Fanatic Fans Fight In Peruzzi
A brawl broke out Sunday night
in Piazza Peruzzi, just a few metres
from Piazza Santa Croce, between
fans of Fiorentina, Verona,
he Florentine police force investigates another American tragedy connected
Twith alcohol abuse. A twenty-four old woman fell from the balcony of the
and presumed supporters of A.C.
Milan. Eighty young fans were involved,
fi fty of whom wore scarves
Hotel Concorde last week. She suffered head trauma, fractured ribs, and a fractured
pelvis. She was not found below her own window, and investigators believe that she
of their favourite team over their may have been pushed from another guest’s room. The hospital’s blood tests revealed
faces. Bottles and glasses, as that the victim was under the influence of alcohol.
well as side-mirrors broken off of
This marks the third in a series of incidents in Florence connecting American
nearby cars became makeshift students, alcohol abuse, and violent crime. In efforts to raise student awareness and
weapons. 10 police agents were guarantee their safety, the American Consulate in Florence has organised meetings
hospitalised before military police with public authorities and other related institutions, including bar and club owners
and American colleges. Policies, designed to protect students, include the refusal
were able to disperse the aggressors.
Three Florentines and to serve alcohol to inebriated customers, and the regulation of promotions such as
one person from Foggia were arrested
for brawling, violence, and
“It’s proven that many of the problems our students have had with criminality are
offering “12 drinks for 12 euro.”
resisting a public offi cer.
related to alcohol abuse. Here, cuisine and good wine are aspects we can appreciate
GIA_AD_Florentine_pearls 17-10-2005 about this 17:39 culture. Pagina But young 1 people just have to be more responsible,” states Michael
Ma from the American Embassy in Florence.
www.theflorentine.net
UNDERCOVER
AGENTS PLANTED
IN STADIUM
Police Fans Make Florentine
Football a Safer Sport
e’ve heard of
Wclown-doc-
tors, but we had never
heard of policefans
until the last
championships at
Franchi stadium. Florence
has a new idea
for ensuring stadium
safety. The plan is
simple: one thousand agents will gather
together to watch the purple team
play. The initiative called “Violaclub” will
consist not only of state police, but of
military and fi scal police as well. It will
also include other branches such as
traffi c police and forest rangers. The
proposal was presented last week by
Carlo Papini, Regional Director of SAP
(Autonomous Police Worker’s Union)
to the head of Florence’s police administration.
In Papini’s proposal, the police
force will no longer be positioned inside
the stadium. Instead they will crowd the
space between Franchi’s two sides,
between the Railway and Marathon
curves, an area originally left empty for
ventilation purposes and to discourage
direct contact between fans from
opposing sides. Violaclub’s new idea is
to fi ll the seats with public offi cers.
Although these “fans” will be both
off-duty and out of uniform, they will be
useful should an emergency or threat to
public order arise. The idea has already
been presented to the City of Florence
and Mayor Leonardo Domenici and
Councillor Eugenio Gianni, in a recent
meeting regarding stadium safety,
where they expressed interest in the
initiative and are currently evaluating
the proposal.
The idea is hard to refuse on all
levels. The police-fans will pay for their
tickets according to Pisanu’s decree,
but part of the proceeds earned from
these special ticket sales will go to
charities such as Meyer’s Children’s
Hospital or be used to further scientifi c
research. The quota allotted to humanitarian
organisations will depend partly
on the Fiorentina Club’s generosity.
“It is a way to unify police and football
fans, in something other than matters of
public order,” says Indolfi .
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