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Horror park in Neukölln: Residents fight against drugs and chaos!
Neukölln is suffering from drug problems and residents are calling for immediate action to improve cleanliness and safety.
Horror park in Neukölln: Residents fight against drugs and chaos!
Discontent is spreading in the Berlin district of Neukölln. The residents of Leinestrasse complain about unbearable conditions characterized by noise, stench and open fires. These abuses, they report, are present almost around the clock. Anita Berber Park in particular has long been established as a drug trafficking center, where residents have noticed a significant deterioration in the situation in recent months. Concerned citizens recently met with politicians and those responsible to voice their complaints, but despite the discussions the mood remains less than optimistic. Berliner Zeitung reports that the residents have almost given up hope for improvement.
An open drug scene has established itself throughout Neukölln's Körnerkiez, which is particularly evident in Anita-Berber-Park. In addition to drug problems, residents also struggle with illegal dumping. In order to meet these challenges, residents have submitted a resident application to the district council in which they demand structural and immediate measures. The initiative, which emerged in April following incidents in which daycare children came into contact with used drug syringes, focuses on “cleanliness, safety and addiction support” and plans to collect 1,000 signatures on its application by mid-September. Tagesspiegel reports that residents are also demanding more frequent cleaning, more trash cans and better financial resources for addiction help.
Need for a city-wide strategy
The situation in the Körnerkiez is described as an example of the multitude of social problems that come together in a small area. Residents emphasize the urgency of a city-wide strategy to address these challenges, which they see as a “social and health crisis.” They are aware that the Senate's budget situation is uncertain, as six million euros were recently cut in the already underfunded green maintenance. Another central demand of the initiative is the establishment of mobile and stationary drug consumption rooms, especially at Anita Berber Park, in order to counteract addictions. Tagesspiegel emphasizes that the social infrastructure also needs to be improved in order to offer effective help.
Given developments in Berlin, current events raise questions about how cities can deal with drug crises. An example of this is Frankfurt, which is considered a model example of urban drug policy. There, too, a variety of measures have been used in the past to combat the problems in urban drug scenes. The city set up crisis centers and introduced consumption rooms to offer addicts a safe environment and to sustainably improve living conditions. Spektrum describes that these measures aim to reduce harm and promote the well-being of addicts.