Mayor: Fence around Görlitzer Park "symbolic politics"
The district mayor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg has once again criticized the planned night-time closure of Görlitzer Park. "In our view, this is symbolic politics that will not help to improve the local situation in the long term," Clara Herrmann (Greens) told the Tagesspiegel newspaper (Tuesday). Closing the park would only push problems such as drug-related crime "into the hallways and backyards".
Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) and interior senator Iris Spranger (SPD) had announced that the wall around the park would be torn down and replaced by a fence with entrance gates. The gates can then be locked at night. The debate about security in the park had flared up again after a young woman was raped by several men in June.
"I still haven't received any plans as to what exactly the governor and the interior senator have in mind. At what times should the park be locked? Who is supposed to do this? How will it be ensured that the people who are still in the park at that time can all get out?" the district mayor told the Tagesspiegel. The question of where the money for the fence would come from was also unanswered.
The police have expressed concerns about the potential increase in crime in other areas around Görlitzer Park due to the proposed closure. In a recent Senate hearing, the topic of enhanced security measures and funding was discussed intensely.
Source: www.dpa.com
