The Fence Has Fallen: Görlitzer Park Must Reopen at Night
A court ruled the Senate's closure of the controversial Kreuzberg park was unlawful. The city must now keep it open at night while the full case is heard.
What was the point of all that, then? The closure and fencing off of Görlitzer Park at night was one of the main campaign promises of the Berlin CDU. They marched through the park, they built a large, unpopular fence around it, they complained about how it was a hotbed for criminality, and – most crucially – they shut it off to the local community at night. There were even people dressing up in giant bunny suits and handing over keys to open the gates.
The installation of 16 entrance gates... which the city hoped would combat drug dealing and violent crime. Local residents say it has only displaced both to surrounding streets.
And now, just in time for summer, the city has to scrap all of that: a court has ruled in a preliminary judgement that the decision to close the park infringes upon the rights and freedoms of local residents and park users. As of Monday evening, the park is open again.
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