In November, the Berlin Senate rolled out a series of new fines for littering as part of a campaign to make the city cleaner: dumping large items, such as furniture, could cost the violator up to €8,000, failure to pick up dog poop could run you €80, and tossing aside a cigarette on the ground would incur a fine of €250.
At the time, politicians from the Greens and Die Linke argued that the upped penalties would be ineffective without enforcement. But this is now being put to the test: through Sunday, the Ordnungsamt will be conducting a citywide sweep specifically targeting the improper disposal of cigarette butts. The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district even announced the officers could be disguised in civilian clothes, patrolling the parks and pavement to catch flagrant flickers.
"Anyone caught simply throwing their cigarette butts on the ground faces a fine of between €250 and €3,000."
HEIST is a worker-owned online magazine, founded by writers and editors who after years working across Berlin's media landscape believed something essential was missing.
Anyone living here has felt a growing gap between the city as it actually is and the version being served up by mainstream outlets. We experienced that disconnect firsthand. We saw political censorship shape coverage decisions and felt the weight of billionaire ownership land directly on our work. It reached a point where we could either keep going along with it, or try to build something better.
That's why we created HEIST.
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Real journalism costs money. We commission the hard-hitting, well-reported, long-form work everyone wants to read but nobody seems to publish anymore.
The future of this city is still in the balance. We intend to be part of that struggle. We hope that you'll join us.
