The streets of Mar del Plata show a growing presence of "trapitos" (street parking attendants), who, according to complaints from residents and tourists, demand money from drivers to allow them to park, even though the municipality itself has a metered parking system in the busiest areas. According to testimonies collected by the Argentine News Agency, although the Municipality of General Pueyrredon assures that operations are carried out to control the activity, the presence of car watchers remains constant on numerous streets in the microcenter and the Güemes commercial sector. Mayor Agustín Neme is flooded with complaints, which are not limited to informal payments. Paradoxically, the complaints also involve Guillermo Montenegro, who took office as a provincial senator but maintains the leadership of the municipal executive, albeit on leave. Episodes of confrontations between groups of "trapitos" have also been reported, some of them with physical aggressions, which increases the feeling of insecurity for both residents and visitors. Photos and videos are circulating on social media that account for these situations in different points of the so-called "Happy City", feeding the concern in the middle of the summer season.
