Care in the community took on a new meaning in the southern Spanish town of Carcaixent after a 66-year-old man was discovered to have lived in a park toilet for 15 years - with the blessing of the town hall. José Tormo was allowed to move into the small space adjoining the toilet as an emergency measure in the early 1990s, when he lost his job and separated from his wife. In exchange, he cleaned the toilet and did odd jobs for the town during the first eight years of his stay.
The mayor, Lola Botella, said she did not find out Mr Tormo was still living in the toilet - with a camping stove, bed, cluttered shelves and donated furnishings - until last month.
"I had no idea," Ms Botella told the Guardian. "Sometimes he would ask me for money when I passed the park and I would give it to him without knowing who he was."
But many of the town's 20,000 residents were familiar with Mr Tormo's makeshift home, giving him food, clothes and tobacco and calling him by the nickname "Pepé".
His habit of scolding children who splashed about the washroom, however, caused parents to complain to the town hall. But when local media reported he would be evicted, there were protests from local youths.
2 comments:
judas priest why dont they just build him a littel place and let him live there for cleaning, picking up, etc...
Hmmmmmmm I love the smell of urine in the morning !
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