By Gunnar Schupelius
The “Leo” has become a magnet for alcoholics and drug addicts. The Green-run district office never really stood in the way of this fatal development, says Gunnar Schupelius.
The mayor of Mitte, Stefanie Remlinger (Greens), commented on Leopoldplatz in the BZ on Wednesday: “I will promote a holistic approach to Leo.”
Public spaces must “remain safe for everyone,” she wrote. “A coherent overall concept” is required. “The police and the Senate, the district office and social work, addiction support and the camp service must coordinate on this and work within the framework of their responsibilities”. She speaks of “violence and crime, littering and neglect”. The situation is “very serious”.
That’s true, but it’s not new. This has been going on for years. The Greens have been the mayor since 2016 and are responsible. Before that it was the SPD. What did they do to save the “Leo”? Why did they let the place fall into disrepair?
The situation was already serious 14 years ago. Back in the fall of 2009, Leo was banned from drinking alcohol. However, Mayor Hanke (SPD) did not enforce it. The hygienic conditions were already unbearable back then.
Bianka Kayser, the director of the Protestant daycare center Nazareth on the Leo, complained that drinkers were defecating at the daycare center fence. Then they came up with the idea of building a “drinking hall” for alcohol and drug addicts.
About ten years ago, the Mitte district developed the concept entitled “A place for everyone”, with place service, a social café and drug rooms.
The concept led to even more neglect. The number of homeless people increased fivefold, and Leo became a magnet for the stranded.
The place has never been cleaned up, never really kept clean, there is no police station that urgently belongs there, no permanent patrols, no security guards. People watched the goings-on doing nothing.
And now Ms. Remlinger comes along like Alice in Wonderland and is completely amazed at the catastrophic conditions. Your statements in the BZ are platitudes in phrase-like language. That’s not how you get control of the situation.
The child fell into the well long ago. There are even more drug addicts than alcoholics in the square. The violence is increasing. The number of physical injuries on the square and in the surrounding streets almost doubled last year and rose further in the first half of 2023. The hygienic conditions scream to heaven, the entrances to the houses are used as toilets.
Security and order must be enforced. This common political wisdom is often ignored by the Greens, who want to solve all problems with social work.
If you want to keep a place clean and tidy, you have to get rid of all hedges, nooks and crannies and create a clear area. The consumption of alcohol and drugs outdoors must be strictly prohibited and this ban must be enforced by the police. The politicians owe that to the residents. There is no other way, otherwise this misery will never end.
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