We have in the city of Wiesbaden (my local town of 290-odd thousand residents) around 150 alcoholics who roam the streets. You can identify the drinking-zone from the train station to the end of the shopping district. Most hang out in the mornings around the Luisenplatz area....mostly drinking with comrades, arguing over various topics, and avoiding the police.
To keep the drunks 'happy' and out of the public 'eye'....they keep 'dixie-units' (the portable toilets), there around Luisenplatz.
Yesterday...one of the guys went to the end of the zone, where there's no dixie-units, and just started peeing walls of buildings.....in the shopping district. Yes, in front of folks.
Naturally, the cops get called.
A long discussion starts up between the drunk and the cops. This ends up with the cops trying to tie the guy up.....confrontation starts up, and the drunk tries to fight the police. It didn't go well.
The guy got taken down to the drunk tank eventually. I'm guessing he will get a charge or two, and might end up with two or three months in the district jail.
Most folks around town would like to see the drinking crowd cleared out....but they'd also say the beggar crowd (probably also in the 150 range) go with them.
2 comments:
Living in the City centre I get to see some familiar faces in the beggar crowd. I dont blame the individuals, often young fit men (rucksacks on back), wirh mobile phone, not under-fed, but they are clearly being organised by a higher authority. Cant understand why the police dont deal with it.
Five years ago, it was mostly oddball immigrant types in the beggar group (mostly Albanian, and Eastern European making up half of the group)....maybe five-percent Germans in the mix. Since Covid started up...it's like you suggest...growing number of rucksack-young guys/gals. They tend to have a dog, a sleeping bag, and a cup for coins in front of their hangout. I'd suggest they are a no-ambition type of character, with no thoughts about the future.
At some point, I expect the city council to wake up and both groups (beggars and alcoholics) get put on a non-desirable list.
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