The anticipated large influx of young people to Harry Styles’ megaconcert at the RCF Arena, scheduled for July 22, is already raising some inevitable public order concerns. To dilute it, the Listening to Santa Croce committee mobilized, at the request of Reggio’s deputy mayor and urban regeneration adviser, Alex Pratissoli, and managed to attract, finding cooperation, even those who manage the oratory on the Via Adua. Which, if the Headquarters of the Police, the municipality and the organizers of the event consider it workable, are ready to provide premises and green areas to accommodate some of the participants in the British artist’s performance. The news came yesterday and appeared at the police station on the sidelines of a welcoming meeting between outgoing Commissioner Giuseppe Ferrari and representatives of the committee.
“After a meeting with Pratissoli’s adviser,” explained Stefano Buffagni, president of Asc, “where we discussed how to help the organization in managing the large audience of the concert, we decided to ask the cooperative of San Giovanni Bosco, who manages the Oratorio, if they could help us . I spoke with Vice President Emanuela Gallingani, who informed her of its availability. Now, of course, the police and local authorities must evaluate whether this option is feasible.”
To sum up, what use could be made of the construction on Via Adua on the day and night of the concert? Buffagni himself elaborates on the needs expressed by the municipal administration: “Since no backpacks or suitcases are allowed in the Rcf Arena, young people can use them as a deposit for their luggage before and after the concert. The idea of equipping the sports grounds of the Oratorio with areas where the concert participants could set up tents if they wanted to stay overnight and did not book a hotel is also being evaluated. Whatever the specific initiatives that will then be taken in the context of the Oratorio, the synergy between the committee, the Don Bosco cooperative and the municipality is in any case another sign of what a good civil society can do by joining forces.
Gabriel Gallo