‘Wall of shame’ built to block crack users sparks fury in Paris suburb
Rage and despair at Paris authorities’ failure to quell a drug problem that has ravaged northeast Paris for the last three decades – and the decision to park it in a suburb with plenty of problems of its own
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Paris authorities have bricked up a tunnel that connects Paris and the northeastern suburb of Pantin in the département of Seine-Saint-Denis, after moving dozens of crack smokers into the area, a measure that has sparked fury and despair among residents. For residents of Pantin, the wall blocks a pedestrian walkway to the capital, fails to protect them from Paris’s decades-long crack problem, and symbolises their segregation from the affluent French capital. Residents are furious they were given no prior warning about the wall – it was built without consulting local authorities – and that most of them found out about it from the press or on social media. (See also: France tries to wall off crack users — With an actual wall | The Wall of Shame – Why crack consumption rooms are needed in Paris)
