City Hall Removes Bench on Paseo Mallorca – A Man Must Temporarily Use a Folding Chair

City Hall Takes Decisive Action: Bench on Paseo Mallorca Is Gone

Early Tuesday morning, around 9:30 a.m., municipal workers arrived and dismantled the long-used bench at Paseo Mallorca. Those who grab their coffee under that tree there in the mornings saw the scene: two men in high-visibility vests, a van, a few curious passersby. The bench, on which a man had slept for months, is now gone. Since then, he sits on a worn folding chair, leaning it against the trunk—the pigeons are not thrilled, the bakery on the corner still smells of freshly baked ensaimadas.

The Man, the City and the Neighbors

The man is known in the neighborhood. Some kindly call him “the man from Paseo,” others have lost sight of him. Neighbors report that he was often wrapped in blankets, rarely spoke, but always visited the newsstand on Sunday morning. The city administration stated that at this spot two new, smaller benches for one person each under the tree will be installed in the future. Until then, his provisional place is the folding chair.

Social services were on site during the action, witnesses say. They offered help – accommodation placement, medical first aid, counseling. According to residents, the man partly declined offers. This is not an isolated case: many affected people avoid facilities out of fear, shame, or because of rules they find inflexible.

A Bigger Problem Than a Single Bench

There are several hundred people without a fixed residence in Mallorca, it is estimated. They sleep in parks, under bridges, or in abandoned buildings. Statistics are difficult because the situation fluctuates between season and winter. Those walking past Paseo in the morning see not only tourists with cameras, but also the social reality that’s been visible here for years.

The debate after removing the bench is typical: some residents demand more presence of the authorities, others criticize that you are fighting a symptom rather than the cause: lack of affordable housing and adequate counseling services. In local chats, some perceive the measure as pragmatic, others see it as cold.

What Helps Now – And What Is Lacking

Experts call for a combination of short-term offers (emergency beds, mobile teams, health care) and long-term solutions: affordable housing, accompanying social-pedagogical support, low-threshold contact points and the proven “Housing First” concept. On-site helpers say that it often only takes a handful of minutes to build trust – but this trust is lacking when people feel they are constantly being displaced.

The Paseo Mallorca scene is a small, highly visible example of a big issue. It’s not just about benches or city orderliness, but about how we treat each other in the city. Those who smell the ensaimadas in the morning and pass the place on their way to work can’t look away anymore. Maybe that would be a start.

If you want to help: Local aid organizations, street clinics and the city’s hotline provide information about current offers.