A family event to reopen the only green space in the neighborhood

On Sunday, for Father’s Day, the Manabani Gardens Users Community (CUJM) held its 31st event since the parks closed, just over 3 years ago, with support from the Greenpeace Reunion.

About 100 runaways and tourists braved intermittent rain to go to the garden gates as the community briefed them on the progress of the legal action it had begun to reopen Manabani Gardens. The Administrative Court will issue its verdict very soon.

Pétanque, boule and mulkie were available to the children and their parents: everyone, like the group, hopes that the soft and playful grass in the gardens will soon become their playground again! For 3 years, in fact, the group has not only demonstrated in Place Luc Donat to express its dissatisfaction with the tyrannical and unilateral closure of public parks by the municipality, but also carried out various administrative and legal measures to reopen them. .

A little historical reminder: On May 13, 2020, at the time of dismantling, residents came across “No Public Public” signs accompanying a municipal ordinance closing public parks in Manabani. On August 2, 2020, the first citizen assembly was held in the parks to ask the city council the reasons for this closure while all of St. Joseph’s municipal parks reopened. 305 citizens subscribed in signing and depositing in the Town Hall on the 9th of September, a letter addressed to Mr. Lebreton asking for clarifications.

On September 21, the city council received some representatives of the movement, and at the same time, sent municipal agents who had cut down trees and green gecko habitats of the Manapani (an endangered species) to install high fences. After some time, a massive wall would be erected to close off access to the gardens on the side of the basin. On September 22, the town hall meeting was held at Manabani Town Hall. Elected officials were attacked by demonstrators, insulting including the famous: “You taxpayers in two words!” It has been filmed and viewed over 150,000 times. On the 27th of September, the weekly demonstration was severely suppressed by the gendarmerie forces present on the spot. People, criminals, women, children find themselves under tear gas. On September 28, the first urgent brief against the park access ban was submitted to the administrative court. It was rejected after two days. On November 10, 2020, the group had a warden record attendance and the height of the gates and walls erected by the municipality. In the same month, more than 200 letters of receipt/acknowledgment were submitted to the mayor and attorney general requesting mediation between the assembly and the municipality of St. Joseph to ask them for a dialogue.

In March 2021, the community filed a controversial appeal to the Administrative Court in order to obtain the titles to the gardens. This appeal follows several refusals by the City Council to provide a copy of these documents, despite the A/R request filed on October 15th, and then the steps taken with the Mediator of the Republic, and then with CADA, all confirming a legal obligation only for the City Council. to submit these documents. This appeal was successful in favor of the assembly in June 2022: it finally obtained the documents relating to the acquisition of the parks by the municipalities in 1967.

In these acts there is no mention of belonging to the private municipal domain (contrary to what the town hall has always said). In August 2021, an application was submitted to the Administrative Court for the classification of gardens in the public communal domain. This request will be judged very soon. Finally, in November 2021, a complaint was filed with the Public Prosecutor against the fence and walls around the Manabani Gardens, which do not respect the local urbanization plan.

The Manabane Gardens user group has been campaigning for 3 years in favor of reopening the only public green space in the Manabane area through demonstrations but also legal action. He hopes to win his case in the coming days before the Administrative Court. Then the charming ti corner will once again be able to welcome traditional picnickers, gecko lovers, and swimmers, returning to the use that the Reunionese had of this little corner of preserved paradise for over 20 years.

Manapany Parks Users Gathering and Greenpeace Reunion

Reload comments