Following the news about the Liserons neighborhood, which shed light on a serious and intolerable situation, we are sharing this text from Fouzia Ayoub that we are happy to relay.
Originally, the “328” on the Turin road is a quiet neighborhood located at the far east of the city.
40 years later, it has become a true disaster. A ghetto. A drug hub in the Alpes-Maritimes, located on the opposite end of the beautiful Promenade des Anglais with its green palm trees and blue skies.
From the status of a peaceful family residence, the area gradually turned into a lawless zone where drug trafficking and social misery are concentrated.
This time, the clashes on Sunday, June 14, drove the residents of Impasse des Liserons to despair, to fatalism.
Last night, on the phone, a shocked mother confessed to me: “Last night, more than ever, we felt abandoned.” Now, for the residents, the primary victims of this drug trafficking, the only solution is to leave, to get out of this neighborhood as quickly as possible and never have to relive what they experienced that terrible night.
I do not want to place all the blame on the public authorities. The causes are numerous, of course: the ghettoization of the neighborhood, the neglect of the buildings by the Côte d’Azur Habitat social housing office, which only patched things up intermittently, the deliberate concentration of populations in extreme social precariousness, administrative delays (between consultations, decisions, votes, validation processes, and finally, executions, it takes years), growing economic difficulties, the isolation of the neighborhood, the lack of public transport services… That’s a lot for such a small neighborhood of about 3,000 inhabitants.
But, it must also be said, the political ambition for this neighborhood wasn’t there. This is what led to delays that were met with the rapid degradation of everything: the deterioration of buildings, facilities, and human relations. And the only one that came out stronger, the only real winner, is drug trafficking, which has been able to develop without much interference (despite the enormous work by the police).
A few months ago, I thought it might be enough to reintroduce associations and mediators into the neighborhood. Today, I think it’s too late, and that permanent police presence is also needed in the neighborhood. There should no longer be just spectacular but punctual police operations. No. We must be aware that we are now dealing with a hydra capable of re-establishing a lucrative business in just 24 hours. We have taken so long to realize the seriousness of the situation that restoring a certain order will take a lot of time and effort. Destroy the neighborhood? It’s too late. The beast will not give up. It will relocate elsewhere.
So, what solution? We will only find the solution(s) together: public authorities, politicians, police, associations, residents…
I have always refused fatalism. Always refused quick and easy answers like “it’s a community problem.” But here, I confess, I am a bit discouraged. It’s a societal problem that our city and our department will have to face together. The drug trade has settled where misery was the greatest.
Now, we need to open our eyes and help the residents first. Then, we must ensure that our republican pact is respected and restored everywhere on the national territory and even more so in places where misery has entrenched itself.
Fouzia AYOUB, Secretary General of the group “Another Future for Nice”
