The homeless at the Rummelsburger Bay : We, who are at the very bottom, also need space

you have made your self-built huts winterfest, as far as that goes. The homeless at the Rummelsburger Bay Worry: The Lichtenberg district wants to resolve the Situation, there have been complaints from local residents, and the Wind is getting colder and colder. Constantly someone speaks of the Camps will soon be vacated. Many of the Affected don't know where to go when it comes to an eviction. That's why some homeless people have gone on Sunday to the national Congress of the Berlin Left and have described your Situation. Then, the Left wrote: "Our Position is clear: No eviction without alternative accommodation." Social Senator Elke Breitenbach offers help and associations, information about services, a street worker is to be used. How many people live there, is unclear. Of clearance certainly around 200 people would be affected, says lumpy, one who has lived there for half a year.

lumpy is great, Smile is engaging and it is since eight years traveling in the area. Where exactly he lives now, he doesn't want to say. Nobody speaks of them. No wonder, sleeping places – so-called "plates" are rare, especially now in the Winter. The fear of being discovered and losing everything is great. "There are only a few spaces for alternative concepts of Life in the city," says lumpy. "It is fatal as well as these open spaces are now displaced. For people without money, account, apartment, concrete residence status or perhaps those who do not stand with the law on quite as good terms, are to survive such surfaces is important.“ He smiles, but his tone is serious. "We are, we are at the very bottom, also need space. We want our part of the city."

Why can't the life of the homeless on the occupied ship?

during the day, lumpy and Co get up occasionally to eat or hot drinks on the "privateers", a currently-occupied ship on the Friedrichshain part of the lake. The occupation is tolerated by the local district office. On the privateers, the homeless are not able to come, however, have prohibited the district from there. In this case, the tolerated occupation would be extinguished. The district would need to be held liable if someone happens something there, said Sarah water field from the collective, "dust to glitter", which occupied the buccaneers. "We can get to night four people on guard duty on the boat, we will leave you here," says water field. Than again a clearance was spoken, she invited the homeless and representatives of the press on the buccaneers. A day after the decision was made to go to the state Convention of the Left.

residents complain about the trash

On the Bay, there are two camps: One of "German-speaking homeless people" and of Roma. With this, the contact was a little more difficult, say the ship-tamper. Residents of the rummelsburger complain again and again about the garbage. The Friedrichshain environment councillor Clara Herrmann (Grüne) speaks of a "complaint Hot Spot". Residents calling for better lighting on the Seeuferweg. Some would feel insecure and the homeless people would defecate anywhere.

toilets and garbage places for the homeless is setting up the district office Lichtenberg in there first. Justification: "The district office has no interest in these inhumane conditions, which have established themselves locally, and to solidify. In this respect, we will use our energy on, the local people living alternative offers," said district mayor Michael Grunst (Left).

The social welfare offices are increasingly to inform about offers of help. "We need given the temperatures and the tough conditions on site, a quick solution." He has led the Day center for the homeless at the train station Lichtenberg open in January, seven - days-a-week-only, as is currently the case, five.

A residential home for Trotzi question

"We are also local residents. At least you should be able to agree,“ says Olli, are also homeless. Similarly, the 23-Year-old Trotzi, which is for ten years on the road and for three months in the Camp on lake rummelsburg lives. Also, they feared an eviction. Offers of help to hear. You could imagine to be put somewhere, but only under certain conditions. "If so, then I want my dogs to take, it would have to be something Longer term and I don't want to be patronized."

lumpy's for eight years in the area of the rummelsburger lake.Photo: Sven Darmer

A residential home would be out of the question. There you will not get the freedoms that it needs. You would like to spend the winter in the Bay, she says. "Here, I can leave my stuff and don't have to Worry to be robbed." Your dogs are survive important. "In my small tent I sun bags at night with my sleep and with my three dogs. It keeps me warm. Without the dogs it would not go.“ Before Trotzi came to the Camp, she spent two months at friends and slept in front of it under a bridge on the Warsaw road. At the Moment, you have the Problem that your sleeping bag was damp due to the condensation in the tent constantly.

"I've decided itself in favour of life"

The 27-Year-old Illi lives since three months in the Bay. Trotzi and he will get to know, but quite a few years. For Illi the Camp is his fifth "plate" in the room in Friedrichshain/Lichtenberg this year. Buddies had recommended him to the Camp in the rummelsburger Bay. "When I arrived here I have shown me the Security even where I may use my tent. Which would have meant that I would be here until the spring of peace,“ says Illi. Meanwhile, the security company had changed and the new guard was not unfriendly, but less communicative. Open fire on the site had been banned.

Not without my dogs. Trotzi would not like to spend the winter in a residential home, but on the Bay.Photo: Sven Darmer

Also, Illi would hate to be in a residential home. "Why release the not simply a fallow for two or three years, so we can live there undisturbed. In one room, we are prior to extrusion, that would be more important than anything else." Another shelter says loser, the politicians would just talk about it, but not with you.

number of homeless people on-the-spot

Horst (56) and Micha (59) rises to a clearing just behind. The two of them are for three days in the Camp. Before that, you were in a former Car repair shop at Ostkreuz, from which you have driven them. "We had prepared the course grade. All of a sudden the owner is in the room and the police in tow and says what of trespassing and we should leave immediately." The number of homeless people in the Bay increases, because they are elsewhere suppressed. Also the wasteland at the rummelsburg lake will eventually be built on.

Some residents say it will also time, since the States would have an end. It is planned, among other things, "Coral World", a tourist attraction. However, due to the ongoing protests, the construction continues to be delayed. In January, the district of Lichtenberg takes a further experiment, the land-use plan. "The Area around the Ostkreuz is not a no-man's land," said Katalin Gennburg, spokeswoman for city development of Berlin's Left. "Issues of socio-spatial displacement takes place here, just like under a burning glass." This needs to be incorporated into the planning debate.

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