The news of a well-known Neapolitan trader from Piazza Garibaldi who in the late morning of Saturday 9 January decided to give in to despair, to despair and abandonment by the State by making the extreme gesture of taking his own life inside his shop.
This is the photographer Umberto Sbrescia, 67 years, owner of the historic commercial business specializing in photography and highly professional equipment, located in Via Silvio Spaventa.
The family members themselves raised the alarm and, not seeing him return home for lunch, first alerted friends and colleagues and then the police..
It was the police officers of the Piazza Garibaldi section who broke into the shop and discovered the now lifeless body of the honest worker. The poor trader could not withstand the serious economic crisis due to the strong restrictions dictated by the Government. Indeed, the National Institutions since March 2020 they imposed closures and limitations on store opening hours which led to an irremediable collapse in earnings. Faced with this situation, Mr. Sbrescia also had to surrender due to the indifference and total abandonment by the State and the institutions themselves.
The news of Mr.'s suicide. Sbrescia shocked an entire neighborhood and relatives and friends did not fail to show their affection, leaving messages of support and pain for the loss of a man who since 1958 with its commercial activity it represented a point of reference for all professional and amateur photographers. Always kind, available and smiling, he welcomed customers and friends into his shop, giving everyone precious advice and suggestions dictated by his great professionalism and profound knowledge of the subject.
The desperate gesture of Mr. Sbrescia cannot and must not be classified as an isolated and sporadic gesture of a fragile man who was unable to withstand the weight of the very serious economic crisis we are experiencing due to Covid 19, but it must represent an essential starting point from which to move towards understanding and definitively addressing the situation which, especially in some areas of Naples, can no longer be put on the back burner.
The Law Firm Vinino, for years he has been fighting alongside the traders of Piazza Garibaldi to make it the focal point of the city, place of arrival of tourists from all parts of the world, can be redeveloped and valorised. As the Covid Pandemic develops 19 the degradation and abandonment of the area were even more evident as was the disinterest and arrogance of the institutions at both local and state level. As a lawyer strongly rooted in this area of Naples, I had the opportunity to know and see with my own eyes the problems and critical issues of a square and an entire area which potentially could have been a wonderful business card for one of the most beautiful cities in the world.. It is enough to take a walk in this area to witness the daily lawlessness and contempt for the laws that occur on the part of the many illegal immigrants who crowd the square. In recent months the face of the area fully represents the degradation that I have talked about so much in previous articles. On the one hand we see restaurants, bar, commercial activities and local markets closed due to the rigid and sometimes illogical restrictions dictated by the current health emergency; on the other hand we see illegal open-air markets organized and managed by illegal immigrants who, in violation of all the laws dictated on the subject, crowd together and create gatherings regardless of the danger of contagion and further and consequent spread of the virus. In these circumstances we witness very serious legislative violations not only with regard to the rules on the right to health but also those concerning fair market competition and tax laws. Indeed, those who set up these clandestine and illegitimate commercial activities negatively impact even more on the regular traders in the area not only because these "makeshift" activities escape the closure restrictions dictated by the Region and the State but also because they carry out their sales in fraud of the tax laws by failing to issue regular receipts and invoices. So, it is clear that in such a condition there cannot be fair competition as the price of these goods will always be lower than that of shops that comply with the Laws. Furthermore, it must be said that it mostly involves the sale of counterfeit or stolen goods or in any case of dubious origin and despite repeated requests for police intervention it is not clear why this same goods are never seized and why it is not possible to put an end once and for all to the exercise of these illegal activities which in fact take place every day in broad daylight. Everyday, traders and entrepreneurs in the area request the intervention of the police forces to protect their rights as honest workers and it is unfortunately sad to have to report that very often there is either a lack of response from the police bodies themselves with a simultaneous lack of intervention or even in the case in this case there is, it is often limited to simply driving away those who are carrying out the illicit sale of goods at that moment. All of this, as you can well imagine, has drastic repercussions on honest workers who undertake every day to manage their businesses in compliance with legislative dictates., respecting the decrees and closing times and issuing regular invoices in reference to the goods sold.
In light of the very strong desperation that afflicts all traders and entrepreneurs in Naples, it is necessary to ask ourselves: the Law is the same for everyone?
I'm sure that if we tried to ask this question to the poor Mr.'s family. Sbrescia or to any of the traders or restaurateurs in Piazza Garibaldi the answer could only be negative.
Regardless of the answer to this rhetorical question, the response we want and demand now is that of the institutions that can no longer ignore the desperate situation and continue to cowardly cling to mitigating circumstances and justifications that lack logical sense.
The time has come to take the side of honest workers who want to continue to carry out their work activities in a diligent and safe manner and who pay taxes regularly. The time has come to efficiently and constructively protect an entire category of people who suddenly found themselves no longer able to guarantee a secure income for their families.
This desperate appeal is more of a cry of pain that joins that of Mr.'s family and friends. Sbrescia and is addressed in particular to the Mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, to the President of the Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, and to all institutions, so that they take note once and for all of the real problems that afflict the city of Naples and act in a constructive manner with rational measures and that finally give justice to those who operate and work honestly and diligently.
In this regard, the Vizzino Law Firm takes this opportunity to express all its support and closeness to Mr.'s family. Umberto Sbrescia and renews his solidarity and help towards all traders, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs in the Piazza Garibaldi area, firmly reiterating that through union and concrete commitment in the area, things can be changed. We need to take the field concretely and demonstrate strength and commitment to be able to overcome this dramatic moment. All traders are invited, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs to gather in a peaceful sit-in demonstration in honor of Mr. Sbrescia Umberto and to urge a constructive and concrete intervention on the part of the State and Regional Institutions. Together we can make a difference!
The care of
Lawyer. Riccardo Vizzino
Carlo Landolfi (Ass. We Against Bad Healthcare)
Lawyer. Caterina Santangelo
