The Informal Toll of the 'Gorillas': Who Regulates the Streets?

Gorillas: the informal toll nobody knows how to regulate

Every morning, thousands of Spanish drivers face a dilemma: pay a euro to the street vendor or risk scratching their car. The 'gorillas,' spontaneous parking attendants who appropriate public spaces, have been operating outside the law for decades. But their business, a pure underground economy, has once again brought up an uncomfortable question: is there a lack of regulation or too much State?

The debate faces two currents. One holds that without clear rules, the law of the jungle prevails: extortion turns into organized mafia, with rates up to 50 euros for parking. The other defends that self-regulation is possible: if everyone shows backbone, the gorilla disappears. In between, some propose—in a satirical tone—creating squads of 'anti-gorilla protectors' with baseball bats and megaphones, like a kind of squatting operation for parking lots.

Police inaction provides the backdrop. In cities like Valencia, regulation exists but is not enforced. Meanwhile, Antonio Ortolá, a Vox councilor in Castellón, has launched a campaign against the gorillas, linking the phenomenon to President Sánchez's inaction on migration matters. The issue is mixed with street vending: the same vendor fined always returns to buy more product to continue selling.

In the end, the data is unsettling: nobody knows exactly how much money this toll generates, but everyone pays it. If the police do not act and the norm does not arrive, the gorilla will continue to collect. And meanwhile, the only one who benefits is the one who turns necessity into business.