Crack in Paris: the police evacuate the sectors of the gardens of Eole and Stalingrad – archyde

The Paris Police Prefecture announced in a press release, Friday September 24, having decided, at the request of the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, to“Evacuate drug addicts from the sectors of the gardens of Eole and Stalingrad”, in the north-east of Paris, which constitute fixing points for crack users in the capital and fuel tensions with residents of the 19^e arrondissement for several months. “The fight against drugs is a daily fight and I have heard the anger of the residents”, commented at the same time, on Twitter, Mr. Darmanin.

Several coaches were mobilized to take the fifty or so people present at the northern edge of the Eole gardens, towards Place Auguste-Baron. ” [Le préfet de police] requisitioned the services of the City of Paris to provide this place with access to water and sanitation for these people ”, can we read in the press release from the prefecture. Framed by a large police force, the evacuation took place peacefully and ended around 11:30 a.m.

“Large open-air crack market”

Tuesday September 21, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (Socialist Party), had gone to the gardens of Eole to ask the Ministry of the Interior to put an end to “A large open-air crack market”. “This situation has lasted too long”, said the elected socialist when arriving at rue Riquet, where there were more than a hundred drug addicts. The latter have acquired the habit of consuming there since, in mid-May, the Prefecture of Police and the City of Paris agreed to group them together in the northern part of the Eole Gardens, in order to relieve the neighboring district of Stalingrad.

But at the end of June, M^me Hidalgo had decided to put an end to this temporary situation by prohibiting crack users from entering the park, so that the inhabitants could regain possession of it. “It had a perverse effect: they gathered outside”, she admitted, but “The fact of leaving a large open-air crack market in the total tolerance of the police authorities, it is not acceptable”, added the mayor of Paris to the prefect of police, Didier Lallement.

The Prefecture of Police is at the disposal of the mayor of Paris to support it in its future decisions by… https://t.co/30Cqs107ZV

– GDarmanin (@ Gérald DARMANIN)

In his press release, Mr. Lallement said to himself “Conscious” that the evacuation in progress constitutes a solution ” temporary “, but think she is “Necessary because it involves an occupation of public space less penalizing than that of rue Riquet”. The operation has been decided “Pending the concrete establishment of reception rooms by the City of Paris, and the strengthening of health and social care which must provide a structural response to reduce the presence of crack users in the public space “, explains the prefecture.

Engaged in a pass of arms for several months with the Prefecture of Police, Mr.^me Hidalgo says he was not notified of the evacuation on Friday morning. The mayor of Paris had promised the opening of a first place of care specializing in crack before the fall and opposed the temporary solution of the prefecture of moving drug addicts to Place Auguste-Baron. For several months, some residents have been standing up against the opening of lower risk consumption rooms near their homes.

On site, the mayor of 19^e arrondissement, François Dagnaud, said: “I am relieved that this neighborhood which has had enough drooling can breathe a little (…). I am not completely reassured about what will happen next. We’re actually building a new crack hill a little further away. “

The World with AFP

“Large open-air crack market”

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