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Mihai T. (36), a resident of Erlkönigweg in the Erlenmatt West district of Basel, found a syringe and a needle in the basement.
Nicolas Luratireporter news
A drug injector in the basement, a junkie in the stairwell. A homeless man sleeping under the stairs, packages torn open, doors broken open. Dirt. The paths and the park that are insufficiently lit. It all sounds like a shabby neighborhood, a cheap housing estate or a ghetto. In fact, it is the reality in a modern Basel family district – Erlenmatt West.
From the outside, the apartment blocks are nice to look at, appear modern and well-kept. The quarter was only completed in 2015. The internet portal erlenmatt-west.ch advertises it as a city district for singles, couples and families. “Generous and attractive open and green spaces” or “a primary school building and a kindergarten” as well as “shops and restaurants in the immediate vicinity” would make “the Erlenmatt area a part of Basel worth living in”, writes the author of the lines on the portal.
Drug dispensary very close by
But the present and the recent past paint a picture that is not very livable. Because the residents describe conditions that are unworthy of a modern family quarters. One of these residents is Mihai T.* (36). He lives on Erlkönigweg. “One morning I went into the basement and found a syringe and a needle on the floor,” he says to Blick. ‘A junkie must have been here. I think it was a woman. Because there were also used women’s shoes on the floor.” T. takes a photo.
The drug addict Thomas Suter (52) has an explanation for such finds. The people of Basel buy “Sugar”, i.e. diluted heroin, at the Gassenzimmer on Riehenring and then sniff or smoke it. The collection point is a few minutes’ walk from Erlenmatt West. Suter explains: “Lately you can find many syringes and needles in the vicinity of the alley rooms. They are border crossers who are not allowed in the alley room. » A couple of “idiots” would bring the stuff out to the border crossers. “Then they consume in the area. If they see a way to get into a doorway, they do it.”
Dependents gain access to the basement rooms
When the Blick reporters walk from the Riehenring across the fallow area to the Tangentenweg during a site visit, they also almost stumble over a part of a syringe that is lying on the ground. A needle is not included. But if you come across one, it is always “open”, as Suter reports on the finds in the vicinity of the street room.
A resident of Tangentenweg is also angry. In the neighborhood app, the Erlenapp, she gives vent to her anger: “When I got home, I saw a junkie in the stairwell who went to the basement!”
Because of such incidents, Alen Bozicevic always goes into the basement with a queasy feeling. “I don’t know what to expect,” says the 36-year-old, who, like Mihai T., lives on Erlkönigweg. Because he had read about the experiences of the other residents in the Erlenapp.
His fear for the children in the neighborhood is stronger than this queasy feeling. “I’m worried about the syringes lying around. I have a son, he’s two and a half, »says Bozicevic. He emphasizes the contradiction: “It is intended as a quarter for young families with children. With playgrounds and green spaces.»
Laurence S.** (33) also no longer feels safe in the neighborhood: “I only go to the laundry room with the pepper spray.” She too has the same uneasy feeling as Bozicevic: “Because you never know what awaits you behind the door.”
Uninvited guests are not only to be expected in the laundry room: “People roam the blocks who don’t live here. They rummage through mailboxes, steal packages and letters, break down doors – and urinate there.” S. even reports that cars have been broken into. And: “Drögeler sneak through the corridors. You can probably get into the building via the underground car park.”
“A man fell asleep in the stairwell”
So her verdict is clear: “I currently see it as a problem area.” She had moved here two years ago with a good feeling. “They advertise with day care centers and lunch tables. The houses are new buildings. I never expected to face such problems.” Her conclusion: “I don’t recommend anyone with children to move here.”
Another resident supports this statement with her experience. During the night she stumbled over a sleeping man in the stairwell. “When I got out of the elevator, there was a sleeping man under the stairs by the basement entrances.” He woke up and was confused. “I asked what he was doing here, whereupon he said in bad English: ‘No home.'” Later the police took the man away.
This and the other reports from residents infuriate local politician Laetitia Block (30). The Vice President of the SVP Basel-Stadt lives just a few minutes’ walk from Erlkönigweg. The lawyer summarizes: “The Erlenmatt district is dirty and there are many dark corners.” In short: “It’s a neighborhood where you can’t feel safe.” She also emphasizes: “Families with children live here – and the apartments are not cheap.”
For Block, the reasons for these problems with security and cleanliness are obvious: “Beggars and traffickers. The Spruetzehüüsli is nearby. And it has long been known that beggars tear open packages and then throw them away empty.”
“Away with the drug hüüsli”
But instead of taking action, the city government would abandon Erlenmatt residents, says Block. “The police presence here is too low.” More rayon bans should be imposed during controls. In addition: “More lighting, more cleanliness.” And: “Away with the drug hüüsli.” She explains: “The alley room was installed on the outskirts of the city. But the Erlenmatt district has now grown too close to the street room.”
However, Daniel Hofer from the Construction and Transport Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt (BVD) says to Blick that a new location for the alley room is currently not up for debate. The number of syringes found in the Erlenmatt district is “very low,” says Anne Tschudin from the health department. “In the last four weeks, two material finds have been recorded at Erlenmattplatz,” she says. Among other things, the “Spritzenvespa” professionally disposes of syringe material that is lying around in public spaces. The Vespa drives to “defined locations” every day, Tschudin continues.
The authorities also have a different view of cleanliness than SVP politician Block. “According to the city cleaning department, the Erlenmatt district is no less clean than the rest of Kleinbasel and in this respect it is not a ‘problem area’,” says BVD spokesman Hofer.
In summary, the authorities agree: there are no problems in the Erlenmatt district. A view – a visit to the neighborhood makes that much clear – that the residents cannot share.
* Name changed
** Name known