The size is full for ice cream parlor owner Raymond Barriel from Den Helder. After months of nuisance from homeless people and addicts in front of his terrace on the adjacent Julianaplein, he is now permanently closing his doors. The ice cream parlor owner had hoped for support and help from the municipality of Den Helder, but according to Raymond they completely failed.
Today, ice cream lovers could get an ice cream for the last time at the Bella Gioia ice cream parlor by Raymond Barriel. The ice cream parlor owner was fighting back tears today, because he certainly did not want to make this decision. Yet closing the doors was the only choice for Raymond, because he could no longer guarantee the safety of his staff and customers.
Homeless people and addicts have been causing a lot of nuisance and threats in and around the city park, to which Raymond’s terrace borders. “A lady waving a knife in the park, people hanging drunk against my wind screens outside,” Raymond says as some examples from recent months. But his daughter also felt unsafe in the store a few months ago due to the arrival of a drunk man who can regularly be found in the park.
No support from the municipality
“That was the final straw for me,” he explains emotionally. And in addition, the entrepreneur feels anything but supported by his municipality. After the first temporary closure of the ice cream parlor last April, Mayor Jan de Boer promised improvement, but extra boas that were deployed in the area disappeared again after a short time.
He personally blames the mayor for the fact that Raymond was forced to make this choice. “He looked me straight in the eye and told me that he promised to get better. And that he would try to do something about it. It has only gotten worse,” Raymond concludes.
In the video below, Raymond speaks emotionally about the closure of his ice cream parlor (text continues below the video)
Raymond closes his ice cream parlor – NH News
The fact that Raymond is now permanently closing his salon is a big shock for regular customers, but there is also a lot of understanding. “Everyone goes to get an ice cream after dinner, but that just doesn’t happen here anymore. Then they go to another ice cream parlour. It’s just not safe here,” says a customer.
Sjoerd Oudijk, municipal councilor, also visited the ice cream parlor yesterday with other members of the opposition and said that questions will be asked in the council. “The situation is of course terrible. If people are drunk and are really causing a nuisance, then something has to be done about it. Shoplifting and bicycle theft are also commonplace. Then you have to do something. The problem, of course, lies in a good shelter and care for people who need it and that is slipping through our hands. We see that we are failing terribly in this,” says Oudijk.
Food truck
Fortunately, many customers come by on the last day for an ice cream and words of encouragement for Raymond, who is very sad that things turned out this way. “I have created something beautiful for the residents of Den Helder, but then it comes to an end. That touches me,” he says.
Yet Raymond’s entrepreneurial spirit runs deep and there are already new plans for an ice cream parlor, but on wheels. “We are going to start a food truck and drive through the neighborhoods. I am going to try to do this with a GPS app, so that people can find us easily. They can get on their bike and get an ice cream or a cup of coffee.”
Response from the municipality of Den Helder:
The most important thing is that everyone – residents, entrepreneurs and guests – should feel safe in Den Helder. We condemn all forms of undesirable behavior and are currently doing everything we can to permanently eliminate the nuisance caused by certain (groups of) people.
After previous reports, we entered into discussions with those involved who experienced nuisance. In addition, the police and the municipality have increased supervision and enforcement around Julianaplein. Yet supervision and enforcement is not the solution. During the additional checks, the nuisance moved to other parts of the city. People also adjusted behavior when enforcers came into view, but soon afterwards they reverted to old, undesirable behavior.
For a structural solution, we are committed to offering day care, which is currently insufficient in Den Helder. The aim is that we – together with our social partners – get those who cause nuisance into a care program as quickly as possible and reduce nuisance on the street as much as possible. Such a process has already been started/scaled up for some people. This problem is therefore not an enforcement issue, but a healthcare issue with complex individual cases.
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