Neighbors Denounce Drug Dealing Outside San Antón Parish

Neighbors of Chueca point to San Antón Parish as the source

Urine and feces in public areas, fights during breakfast time, and drug dealing outside the church. This is the scene that a group of residents from Chueca and the Justicia neighborhood in Madrid attributes to the daily activity of San Antón Parish—managed by Padre Ángel—and an addiction center located on Hermanos Álvarez Quintero street. The discomfort has escalated to the point where some residents label the temple a "narcoiglesia" (drug church), a term picked up by El Mundo that summarizes the tension between the parish and its immediate surroundings.

## What residents of Chueca and Justicia are reporting

On paper, the problem is not new. According to one forum participant, San Antón Parish and its surroundings have been dragging issues for years, and the administrations have rarely paid attention to the residents. Facing this view is another theory circulated by a forum user: that it was not the long-time residents who raised the issue, but the new owners who paid high prices for flats on Hortaleza street and are now discovering the less pleasant side of central Madrid. Amidst this, Padre Ángel appears, who, according to another comment, holds considerable influence in Madrid, making any municipal intervention difficult.

## A conflict that transcends religion

The focus extends beyond the strictly religious sphere. One participant holds that in leisure and partner-swapping environments, there is uncontrolled consumption of alcohol and drugs, and similar dynamics occur in venues across other parts of the capital, with the difference being that there, the activity does not spill out into public view. That is where the crux of the matter lies: what is a private activity inside an establishment becomes a coexistence problem when it spills onto the sidewalk.