A judge has rejected demands for the five teachers accused of child abuse in Tribilín Nursery School, San Isidro, to be detained, claiming that there is not yet enough evidence.

Franco Servidio, the prosecutor in charge of the case, requested on Wednesday that the five teachers be apprehended.

Judge Rafael Sal Lari gave permission for all those implicated to return home until further notice. The fate of Yanina Gogonza and her mother Graciela Di Pasquale, Noelia Gallardo, and the two owners of the school, Noemí Núñez and Mariana Buchniv will be decided once further tests have taken place. A team of psychologists is currently assessing the children who have reportedly suffered mistreatment.

The teachers are accused of abusing children in their care after a pupil’s father became suspicious and placed an Ipod recorder in his daughter’s backpack. Teachers were subsequently recorded shouting at the young students and threatening to beat them and throw them in the swimming pool.

The man approached the police with the recordings but reports suggest that the authorities did not initially believe his claims. However, a raid of the school was later ordered during which files and computers were confiscated.

Gustave Posse, mayor of San Isidro, has suggested that little or no record of the school existed although these claims have been rebuffed by Buenos Aires province deputy governor, Gabriel Mariotto, who said that the San Isidro government “could not evade responsibility after the existence of the nursery was clearly known.”

Such crimes carry a prison sentence of two to six years, although if found guilty of physical abuse, the teachers may be jailed for up to ten years.

“This was Bosque Alegre up until last year, lush vegetation, lots of trees,” says Sylvina Madero, pointing to the photographs of dense green forest land which hang behind her.

“Then on 12th April this year, phones started ringing. They came in with 12 bulldozers, 100 municipal workers arrived with chainsaws, and this woodland with lush vegetation became this and this.”

She gestures to images showing a bleak, muddy expanse of land, bordered by torn protest posters and abandoned tools.

“By the time we found out what was happening, half of our woodland had already been cleared.”

Bosque Alegre after the municipal bulldozers came through. (Photo: Felipe de la Fuente)

The Bosque Alegre (‘happy woodland’) is a native woodland situated in the wealthy suburb of San Isidro, in the northern Greater Buenos Aires. It is one of several woodlands lining the coast of Buenos Aires increasingly at threat from development and deforestation. Since control of the land was ceded to a private sports club in 2011, the forest has become the centre-point of a fierce battle between the municipal government and local community rights groups. What was once a peaceful recreational space has become the site of a controversial debate over land ownership, ecological protections, and political priorities.

Bosque Alegre: The Story So Far 

The four-hectare Bosque Alegre is located in the riverside suburb of San Isidro. Its chocolate box cafes and elegant houses mask a network of boundary lines, which divide the region between the large companies and private businesses.

“All this is private. Unless you pay, you can’t enter” says Romina Rocca, member of the Bosque Alegre Assembly, the group established to protect the public woodland.

“The law says that access to the river should be public, but in reality that isn’t what happens at all. Everything is privatised and access to the river has been cut off and closed in. There are only two or three areas along the river that the public can access now” she says.

A pathway leading through Bosque Alegre (Photo: Felipe de la Fuente)

Bosque Alegre is one of these areas. With its reed beds and towering trees, it occupies one of the Campos; a grid of fields divided into tennis courts, football fields, and a conference centre. The Bosque is one of the last coastal forests found in Buenos Aires and is home to many increasingly rare indigenous species as well as being a recreational ground for the local community.

However on 10th May, 2011, the municipal government, led by Gustavo Posse, signed an agreement with Club Atlético San Isidro (CASI) to cede the club the area covered by Bosque Alegre. According to Posse, the agreement was intended to secure investment for San Isidro while sustaining the woodland’s identity as a public recreation area. “An agreement was reached whereby CASI would make investments in the area by installing lights, changing rooms, and new turf,” says Posse.

“The club would only be using the area for a small percentage of time and it would be used by the public the rest of the time.”

Posse claims the land was always intended to remain public, but many disagree with this assessment.

“The government didn’t technically sell the land, they gifted it. Officially, the government has ceded the land to CASI, but that’s not public land, that’s a lie,” says Rocca.

Buenos Aires province’s general environmental law (11,723), states that any changes to public property must be preceded by an environmental impact assessment and a community consultation. Neither of these were undertaken prior to the CASI agreement, prompting widespread community anger. This anger reached new heights in September 2011, when un-identified workers arrived to fell trees before the conclusion of the deal – prompting accusations of illegality and corruption between the sports club and municipal government.

“The community have to be consulted, have to be able to participate and give their views on the works. No-one consulted anyone on anything about this. All that happened was that one day, they came in and cut down all the trees,” says Johanna Rudich, member of the assembly.

Mayor Posse acknowledged this at the time, and now says “there have been communication issues from CASI, however there have also been misunderstandings.”

Bosque or Not?

One of the biggest misunderstandings revolves around the definition of the forest and its assessment in terms of ecological importance.

According to Arturo Flier, Secretary of Community Integration for San Isidro, “Bosque Alegre does not qualify for legal protection because it is not a native forest. It was used as landfill until the 1990s and contains mostly non native species.”

The lush greenery of the Bosque Alegre (Photo: Felipe de la Fuente)

While this is true, biologist Analia Dalia claims the woodland still qualifies for protection under the Ley de Bosques due to its value as a site of biodiversity and urban ecology. “Bosque Alegre is one of the last remaining typical coastal forests on the Río de la Plata and is home to more than 200 species of wildlife,” she says.

“Before the felling, Bosque Alegre had a large number of native species, including Creole willows and alder trees. We know that the tree felling destroyed a plant called Equisetum giganteum rarely observed elsewhere in Buenos Aires.”

The trees and plants also help to protect San Isidro from flooding, as well as retaining nutrients and the purification of water.

Protecting the Woodland

These struggles to define Bosque Alegre and its ecological value are crucial for its legal and political protection.

The assembly have so far succeeded in obtaining an injunction to stop all current works on the Bosque, and now are seeking a mandatory halt and re-definition of the area as a ‘natural park’. At the moment, it is only protected through a lesser ‘protected landscape’ designation.

This designation was obtained on 11^th April 2012 and does little to prevent development on the woodland as it permits private administration as well as alteration and manipulation of the land. The futility of this label was proven just a day after its introduction, when un-identified workers arrived to undertake the second tree felling. In an event the assembly refer to as ‘the repression’, municipal workers cleared half of the four hectares, prompting the mass protests which made headlines across the city.

“I stood in front of the chainsaws, many people did,” says Madero. “It was a terrible day.”

Slyvia Madero points out the photos from the conflicts when people tried to protect the Bosque Alegre from clearing. (Photo: Felipe de la Fuente)

“After the repression, we got advice,” she says. “At this point, we have a team of lawyers working to find out how they can stop this happening. But everybody says that the best way to put pressure on them is through public humiliation”

Madero knows that legal protections are hard to achieve, even when laws do exist. She watched the passage of the ‘Minimum measures for the environmental protection of native forests’ law (commonly known as the ‘forests’ law’), introduced in 2007, which despite enshrining numerous protections for Argentina’s forests does not help the Bosque Alegre. It was never included in the original list.

“Bosque Alegre is a woodland, it is,” says Rocca, “but it’s not in the land registry, it doesn’t officially exist.”

Public Land, Private Interests 

“Argentina has excellent laws, but there is a phrase in English – “where there’s a will there’s a way” – and this is very accurate here; sadly when there is a private powerful interest, they find a way to get around it,” says Emiliano Ezcurra.

Ezcurra is the head of ‘Banco de Bosques’, an NGO established to protect native woodland across Argentina. He has a big task on his hands. By the time the forests’ law was passed in 2007, 70% of the native forests across the country had been lost, divided between agricultural giants using the land for monoculture cropping.

According to figures from the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development, between 1998 and 2006, deforested land in Argentina accounted for 2,295,567 hectares, the equivalent of 250,000 hectares a year and one hectare every two minutes.

“The Bosque Alegre is a very different case to the larger forests in the country, but it is still an issue of privatisation,” Ezcurra says, referring to the fact that Bosque Alegre is a much smaller, urban woodland.

“This is about the relationship between the government and a private company. It’s about how governments can twist and change laws to enable private companies to use land which belongs to the community.”

In this green, spacious suburb, recreational land is hard to come by. For those who can’t afford private club memberships, there are few places to enjoy the natural coastline. It is this that so many want to protect.

Activists hold up a sign declaring 'hasta aca' (until here) in Bosque Alegre. (Photo: Felipe de la Fuente)

“I grew up here, I want my children to play outside and enjoy nature. We need that” says local resident Alison Salas.

So far more than 5,000 signatures have been gathered by the assembly and protests are regularly held on the land, but the future of Bosque Alegre remains uncertain.

“We’re fighting for the forest, but we’re fighting for more than that,” says Rocca. “The idea is to put these topics on the agenda, to ask what is happening to public space in San Isidro”

The fight looks set to continue for a long time yet. However for many, including Ezcurra, the decision is clear.

“The community want it to be saved and it’s public land, so it should be saved. It’s as simple as that.”

To find out what locals think of the issue, click here.

Between 1990 and 2010 Argentina lost 15.5% of its forest cover, or around 5,393,000 hectares according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. In a world of ever-shrinking forests even on tree can make a difference. So when the municipal government of San Isidro decided to tear up the Bosque Alegre without so much as a word beforehand, it inevitably brought forth an outcry from local activists.

The 4-hectare public park is one of the last coastal forests found in the province of Buenos Aires and now half of it is gone. The tranquil town of San Isidro is suddenly not so quiet anymore. The activists are battling the municipal government, which is headed by Gustavo Posse, for the remaining green space.

On 10th May 2011 Posse signed an agreement, which put the forest in the hands of the Club Atlético San Isidro. Soon the calls of more than 200 species of animals changed into the roars and whines of chainsaws as trees came tumbling down. Before anyone could do anything half of the trees lay on the ground leaving a massive gape of where they used to stand.

However, activists haven’t given up hope and now armed with more than 5,000 signatures they are fighting for what remains of the Bosque Alegre.

The Indy decided to hop onto the train and travel to San Idsidro to find out what the locals think about the issue.  Portraits by Diego Espinosa.

Dora Enceña, 47, housewife, San Isidro

“For me forests are very important and it’s just terrible that they’ve cut down [half] the forest. We need to preserve the forests for many reasons. It is important that communities have green spaces because it is a place where people can go to relax and enjoy themselves in a quiet area. It is also good for the environment and in general the atmosphere of a city. It was very wrong that the government didn’t tell us beforehand what they were doing. They should have asked the city their opinion or whether or not we wanted this to happen. We have a right to know what is happening to out public spaces, especially the forests. Towns need forests and green spaces, there is no other way of putting it, we need them. As for whether or not the activists will be successful I am not sure, I don’t know how they can do it.”

Ricardo Pelfort, 67, retired, San Isidro

“This is a government that is very privatised. It is a government that favours private corporations over everything else. There is no interest in maintaining anything that does not make a profit. They don’t care about the trees. They don’t have any interest in protecting them if cutting them down will eventually earn them money. It’s sad because the trees are a symbol of life, they grow here along the river or in the middle of the city and they help clean the environment. There is no life without them. They clean the water and the air and we need both of those to live. Many people don’t have another place to go and relax and enjoy nature in the middle of the city. We need public green spaces like this. People who have a lot of money can go to the closed parks but if you don’t have money where are you going to go? It’s really sad what the government has taken away from its people.”

Marisol Sota, 25, store sales rep, San Fernando

“I do not agree with the decision of the government to cut down the trees. It took them so many years to grow and now the government has just come along and cut them down. It is very bad. We need trees to clean the air in our atmosphere. We need them to change the carbon dioxide into oxygen, they are absolutely necessary especially in a city. It is important to have these green spaces so that all the poison that gets pumped into the atmosphere from cars is turned into oxygen. Unfortunately, when it comes to the activists I am not sure if they can win against a government. They aren’t the first group to try to stand up against them and most people are unsuccessful. But now it is not important whether or not the public was informed before the government cut them down. What is important now is the remaining trees. We need to focus on them and not what has happened, we can’t change that.”

Dario Deschamps, 35, Tren de La Costa employee, Tigre

“What the government did I believe is really bad. They should have spoken with the neighbours who live in this community. Whenever they want to modify something they should have to talk to the residents. The people who live here have a right to green spaces that are free to the public. They should have a right to go somewhere green with their children but the government’s only interest is money. Today they don’t think about what is healthy and safe but instead of money. It is a disrespect of the environment and the general public. There are green spaces in the greater city of Buenos Aires but there are not that many anymore. There is an urban explosion and because of this we are losing spaces to offices and housing, it is the same story in Tigre. For many reasons we need these large green spaces. We need to respect the local fauna and flora as well, but this will totally modify it. How can people learn about it and learn to respect it if the government doesn’t? I think this fight is important because it is a fight for the environment and the neighbours rights.”

Edith Robles, 50, Tren de La Costa employee, Boccar

“I think it is bad. The trees help us breath, we need them for the oxygen that is necessary for us to live. We contaminate the air and they clean it for us, and then we just chop them all down. We need green spaces, the entire planet needs trees, we need them to live. How can it be put any simpler? They didn’t make this decision public and I think that is very wrong. They should have spoken to the public to find out what our opinion was of cutting down the forest. Then they should have made a decision, but only after asking the people who live here. I also agree with what the activists are doing. I don’t think it’s too later. They can still save the trees that are still standing and just in general bring more awareness to the entire issue of deforestation.”

Casa Japon in San Isidro (Photo: Kamilo Hernández)

Walking through the quiet streets of San Isidro after a long bus ride, I admit I was apprehensive about visiting La Casa de Japón. With no website and only a few of articles online, I was unsure what to expect from this mysterious and hidden museum.

Arriving at the address hardly clarified things. The house is surrounded by tall, black wooden walls, with only one thing confirming it was the right place: a tiny Japanese symbol on the doorbell.

Yet, upon entering through the black gates, any apprehension quickly faded. It doesn’t take long to realise how unique this museum is – first, the tranquil garden with its modern Japanese sculptures, and then the huge, beautiful Japanese country house, which is practically an art object in its own right.

Owned by Patricia and Guillermo Bierregaard, an Argentine couple who lived and worked in Japan for 32 years, La Casa de Japón houses modern and contemporary Japanese art. And while only 10% of it is on display at any time, the museum’s collection is the largest outside of Japan.

The pieces displayed here have also been on show in the Centre Pompidou in Paris, as well as London’s V&A museum, and the couple have such a good eye for collecting that it’s sometimes them informing the museums of a new piece rather than acquiring them after they’ve been exhibited elsewhere.

And while the art collection is exciting and different to any other museum in Buenos Aires, (artists such as Hayami Shiro, Nakamura Kimpe and Masuda Masanori are all represented), the story of the museum’s construction and the couple’s dedication to Japanese culture is just as impressive as the art on display.

La Casa de Japón is not simply a replica or architectural imitation of a Japanese country house; it is a real, 250-year old Japanese country house, imported to San Isidro by its owners in 1984.

Guillermo Bierregaard shows some Japanese contemporary sculptures. (Photo: Kamilo Hernández)

Having fallen in love with Japanese culture and traditions during their time there, the couple wanted to find a way to preserve and share their experience. After fortuitously hearing about an abandoned country house that belonged to a rich couple in the Fukui prefecture, they saw the house as the perfect way to build a museum dedicated to Japanese culture. In 1984, they employed a team to dismantle the house and, along with the parts, had the same team come to San Isidro to put up the house exactly as it was in Japan.

After 20 years of construction, La Casa de Japón opened in 2005. The couple see themselves as museum curators, aiming to create a historical collection, as opposed to a personal selection of pieces. To train for the role, they attended three exhibitions every day over five years in Japan and are now experts in Japanese history, culture, traditions and artistic movements.

Guillermo guides visitors through the art pieces, and his passion and commitment to Japanese culture is clear to see. You can’t help but admire how much he has learnt and dedicated himself to a culture he is obviously inspired by. The depth of his knowledge is staggering, and his explanations of Japanese tradition and religion clarify the meanings and religious beliefs behind many of the pieces. As Guillermo says himself, “The idea is not just to see the art, but to understand the culture.”

There may not be a website yet, and although the couple are not particularly publicising the museum, once I left I understood why; this isn’t a project aimed at commercial gain, but rather one that thrives off a passion for Japanese culture, seeking only to share a journey, an experience. And that difference is exactly what makes the house so special; it’s a unique trip into another world so fondly represented, seldom exhibited in Argentina.

Take the journey to San Isidro, because this may be one of the most unique things you experience during your time in Argentina. As Guillermo notes, “If you want to see Japanese art, either come here or go to Japan. And it’s much cheaper than going to Japan.”

The property of the businessman Jorge Pereyra was raided by four criminals last night at around 11pm. Pereyra was holding a dinner party with 19 other businessmen at the time.

The incident occurred in the neighbourhood of Martínez, San Isidro. The armed men broke into Pereyra’s house and robbed all of those present.

Sources told authorities that Pereyra and his son organize a dinner party every Thursday amongst friends and play cards after.

Pereyra’s house also was burgled previously in August. The police are investigating a possible connection between a gang of ex-policemen and a former chief of police of San Isidro, Raúl Papa.

The courts of San Isidro are trying to determine if last night’s robbery was in fact a message sent to Pereyra by Papa’s gang.

Yesterday the district police chief of San Isidro, Inspector Raúl Papa was arrested for his alleged connection to a failed kidnapping attempt. Papa was the officer in charge of the investigation of an incident that occurred on 5 August, when seventy-year-old Jorge Pereyra was attacked upon arriving home after a business dinner.

Investigators began to suspect police involvement in the crime when they discovered incriminating evidence in the car of the attackers, including two-way radios, sirens, police vests, a police badge, weapons, and ammunition.

Papa was implicated because investigators tracked telephone calls between Papa and someone associated with the assailants. Papa claimed that he was attempting to get information about the crime from his “informant”.

So far, six people have been arrested, including Papa, his secretary, an ex-police officer, and the supposed boyfriend of Pereyra’s niece. The two others in custody are the actual assailants, who were caught after crashing their car into a tree while fleeing the scene. A third man managed to escape.

Additionally, suspicion began to arise regarding Papa’s involvement when the municipality of San Isidro made a report to the public attorney’s office.  The report stated that crimes were occurring that are similar to the Pereyra assault and that the police were not taking action against them. This accusation has now led to more investigations surrounding Papa, to determine if he has been involved in other crimes.

Investigators said yesterday that they have proof of Papa’s involvement.  For nearly three months, “he has tried to mislead the investigation”, they said.

The Classic Auto Show came to the San Isidro Hippodrome over the long-weekend and this year’s event was billed as a tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio.  The area auto clubs showed off their collections of Jaguars, Fords, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Mercedes-Benzes, Renaults, Volkswagens, Fiats, Porsches and Citroëns.  The event also celebrated the historical anniversaries of Mercedes Benz (125 years), Chevrolet (100 years) and Jaguar E-type (50 years).  Collectors and enthusiasts were able to stroll through the tree-lined paths to inspect the cars, peruse vintage cars both on display and sometimes for sale and pour over the parts for sale at the ‘Auto Jumble’.  Photographer Beatrice Murch captured the scene and brings a slice of this life to our readers.

A vintage enthusiast starts up his classic Indian motorbike as the crowd of onlookers watch.

This Jaguar from the 1930s still displays the SS emblem.

The Indian figurehead sits proudly on the front of the impeccably restored motorcycle.

A woman in a fur coat sits in the cockpit of the classic Corvette Stingray.

A couple checks out the chasis of old racing cars.

An energetic and high-endurance man spins the back wheel to get the engine to turn over as the crowd watches and waits for the click and growl of the old machine.

Citroën up close and personal.

Children stare at the strange little three-wheeled car from BMW.

A young man helps clean the classic VW bug in the late afternoon.

Cars for sale line the off-shoot road and tempt enthusiasts.

The Fiat and the Citroën show off their compact engines.

This One-cylinder three-quarter horse powered Benz from 1886 shows how far cars have developed from their inception 125 years ago.

'Michelin Men' are on display for sale at the 'Auto Jumble' at the end of the show.

All types of hubcaps can be had at the 'Auto Jumble' to complete your vintage car's look.

All sorts of antique auto memorabilia could be had at the 'Auto Jumble'.

The suburbs of Vicente López and San Isidro – located north of the capital on the Río de la Plata – will soon receive a facelift, to the dismay of many of their inhabitants. The local government is backing a $2.75bn urban development project which will include: the construction of a shopping mall with 200 stores, a five-star hotel, 16 buildings for apartments and offices, an indoor stadium with a capacity of 15,000 spectators and a river-side highway that will destroy the Paseo de la Costa, a public park on the banks of the river.

Protests against the construction of the highway have been marked by clashes with the police; the police say the protesters instigated the violence, while the protesters say the force the police used against them was unwarranted. Despite the visible objections of many of the towns’ citizens, the project is proceeding as planned. Citizens and workers in San Isidro have voiced their opinions about this plan and the highway that will be running through their town.

The Argentina Independent hit San Isidro to find out what locals thought of the plans.

Eduardo Grossi, 23, student, San Isidro

“Of course this highway is going to be beneficial for a minority. But the transit system can be improved in other ways. We can improve the trains, improve the Subte. So there are other possibilities to improve the transit system without having to destroy natural reserves and public green spaces. And those who went down the Paseo de la Costa to to protest were completely acting peacefully. Why the police had to use such excessive force, I don’t know. To me, it’s illogical.”

Mabel Bosch, 58, retired teacher, Vicente López

“I go to the protests, because the river is ours. And in the few green spaces by the river that remain, they’re going to build car parks.  Some young people went down there to prevent them from doing this, and the rumours that they were throwing rocks at the police are lies. Absolute lies. I was there. They were being completely peaceful, and the police acted brutally. But with our protests, at least we are reigniting the people’s consciousness, because people need to know that this land is ours.”

Nil Celio Araujo Borges, 31, artisan, São Paulo, Brazil

“At first when I heard about it I thought it was a joke. But I think it’s a shame. We don’t need another highway. I think most people know that Argentines are the worst drivers. Driving around here with the roads we have is dangerous enough. And this highway is just going to bring more people and with that, more cars. But at the same time, I think if they do it well, who knows, it might be something that’s aesthetically appealing, it might be something nice.”

Fabriana Carolina Cerreto Castigliano, 40, artisan, San Isidro

“[The Paseo de la Costa] is a wonderful place for the family. It’s the only green space in this area for us – but not just for us because I have seen people from other towns down there, too. And it’s the only space where families can go to gather with their kids. A lot of us here have kids, and if we don’t have that green space, where are the children going to release their energy? I’m completely against this. All of us are against this, all of the northern suburbs are against this I believe. I don’t know a single person who supports this.”

Juan Carestia, 63, retired, Martínez

“The people here who don’t like it don’t want to know anything. There are a lot more people against this that in favour of it – and they’re stubborn. The fact is we will have a highway that will make the town [San Isidro] more accessible. The one thing that might annoy me is the noise, but if I have a quicker route to my house, then all the better. There’s nothing anyone can do about it anyway, because they’re already going to build it. It’s already said and done.”

Photos by Jessie Akin

Policeman Juan Carlos Ruiz, has sentenced to 18 years in prison for the rape of three teenagers.

The 37-years-old employee of a San Isidro police station was found guilty of the kidnapping of the three girls. The first one was taken to the Ezeiza woods where she was kept and raped for one and a half hours before then being released on Av. General Paz.

Ruiz was also found guilty of taken and confining two sisters on 2nd June 2008. The girls, who were 17 and 19 years old at the time, were also raped before being released on Av. General Paz.

The verdict came after a trial that lasted for over a year. According to the victims, Ruiz gave his job away when he produced his police card at the motorway tolls, saying he was a security agent.

Carmen, one of the girls’ mothers, has said she is happy with the verdict, and that she had expected it for justice to be done.

Ruiz’s defence lawyer, who worked in the same police station, had asked for eight years of imprisonment. The rapist pleaded guilty a few minutes before the decision was released.