I often point out changes over thirty years in Germany. So in this essay, the topic is the New Year's Eve celebration in Wiesbaden....with the chief difference in planning for the city for this upcoming celebration, and what would have existed in 1988 (thirty years ago).
It came up in the city news yesterday via Wiesbadenaktuell (our city news site) that the safety authorities have a rather massive operation planned out.
The component of this plan? Security.....security.....security.
The city has dictated the Bowling Green area (near the Casino) will be the celebration area. Private fireworks to be carried in individuals into the area? Forbidden. Cops? They've gotten every single policeman possible to be on duty that night. A secured area? Yes, the Bowling Green area will be fenced off in some way, with entry points where you not be allowed to enter with backpacks.
If you had your personal fireworks? Well....you'd need to go elsewhere in the city, away from the celebration area.
Fear? Over the past year, between petty crime, assaults, and knife injuries.....Wiesbaden has become an odd reflection of itself from the 1980s. The police blotter has become this landscape of a metropolitan city where you watch over your shoulder and occasionally expect trouble. To suggest that you can have your big celebration on New Year's Eve, but you can only feel safe within a threat-free 'zone'? This is where you grin and just shake your head. Things have dramatically changed over the past thirty years.
No comments:
Post a Comment