#397: Coalition on the brink? Protest weekend. The Denver Walk.
Record numbers of you are leaving the 20 Percent.
Hey 20 Percent!
You did it. You really, really did it.
Last year a record number of you became German. 21,811 of the 20 Percent became German in 2024, an increase of 141% over 2023, according to RBB24.
Congrats on battling the inefficient bureaucracy and capriciousness of the Berlin naturalization system to be able to enjoy Apfelschorle like a native and complain about your neighbors throwing glass in the glass containers (sorted by color) on a Sunday.
I hope to join your ranks this year, though I know it will more likely be next year after I sue the government for inaction. Like a real German.
Have a good weekend — summer may finally be here, though I was enjoying the fall weather.
Andrew
PS: You don’t get your bike stolen in Berlin, you just lose your turn. And sponsor Feather has the answer: Bike insurance. More here or below!
Anti-Trump protest Saturday
Oh, did I say weekend? The perfect time to protest. The Yanks (and other Trump opponents) will be gathering at the intersection of Ebert - and Behrenstraße at 2pm for the “No Kings” protest against the increasingly autocratic US president. It’s behind the architecturally uninteresting US embassy in the Tiergarten. I’ll actually be in Hamburg and will head to the protest there, which is conveniently near my hotel. Germany is also celebrating its first-ever Veterans Day Sunday to celebrate the country’s soldiers as it ratchets up defense spending. Three protests are planned against the holiday, the largest of which will start at 2pm at the Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station.
Berlin’s House of Cards?
While the protests look outward, all does not appear to be well when we look inward — an ideological rift between the conservative CDU and center-left SPD, which together rule Berlin in a coalition, was apparent in two different meetings this week. Timo Schopf, the SPD’s expert for transport, publicly criticized CDU transport senator Ute Bonde for focusing on making Berlin better for cars and little else, according to Tagesspiegel. Bonde has failed to use new federal laws that make it easier to create dedicated lanes for buses, battled against super blocks, which would eliminate all but necessary motorized vehicle traffic from certain areas, and tried to increase the speed limit to 50km/h on many neighborhood streets. The public criticism came as tabloid B.Z. claimed that top SPD politician Raed Saleh was planning on torpedoing the coalition in the fall to then head a re-invigorated coalition of the environmental Greens and leftist Die Linke. The SPD denied the plans — it would be a major gamble ahead of the next planned Berlin-wide elections next year. Drama!
Three sheep stolen from landscape park
And here’s a thing not to do on the wekeend: slaughter stolen sheep in your kitchen. Neighbors in Köpenick called the police early Tuesday after hearing odd screams from an apartment, according to RBB24. Police discovered two slaughtered sheep as well as a third alive in a bathroom. The sheep had been stolen from the Landschaftspark Herzberge in nearby Lichtenberg. The man has been charged with theft as well as animal cruelty and the cops are looking for an accomplice — the suspect said he was going to use the meat himself and give some to family members.
Sorry, Görli is closed
Work on the controversial fence around Görlitzer Park has been delayed until after Fete de La Musique on June 21. City officials said the work had been pushed back to Kalenderwoche 26, which is the week beginning June 23 for normal people who use normal dates.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🔒 Second cum-ex lawyer avoids jail time with guilty plea
🪖 German defense minister visits Ukraine
🥱 A story about Bielefeld. Yes, Bielefeld.
Factoid
I grew up in Denver, USA knowing it as the ‘Denver Walk’ — a traffic light phase wherein all vehicles at an intersection have to stop and pedestrians can cross however they want. Berlin’s own Denver Walk, at the intersection of Friedrich- and Kochstraße, turned 25 today, even though it was only supposed to be a weeks-long experiment, according to Tagesspiegel. Berlin’s new coalition has pledged to replace the crossing with a traditional crossing because they hate everything but cars. But they have yet to announce a date. The ‘Denver Walk’, the internet tells me, is known as a 'Pedestrian Scramble’ and was made popular by traffic engineer Henry Barnes in the mid-20th century in NYC and, yes, Denver but he didn’t invent it.
🚴♀️ 🚴♀️ 🚴♀️Support our sponsor 🚴♀️ 🚴♀️ 🚴♀️
Feather: Your Bike's Best Friend in Berlin
Living in Berlin is great - until you step outside and find your bike is gone. With 24,209 stolen bikes reported last year (and probably many more unreported), it's good to be prepared.
Here's why Feather's insurance is the perfect fit for your bike:
🔒 All-in-One Coverage: Whether it's theft, an accident, or even just simple wear and tear, Feather's got you covered. So when life (or a thief) strikes, you don't have to worry.
☕ Super Easy Claims: Claims are faster than finishing your coffee. Just snap some photos, send them off, and most theft claims are sorted in two weeks. No waiting around.
📲 Fully Digital: From managing your policy to making a claim, everything is handled online or via the app. Plus, it's all in English, so there's no need to struggle with German insurance lingo.
Whether you're commuting around the city, or hitting the trails for an off-road adventure, Feather keeps things simple so you can focus on enjoying your ride. 🚴♀️
Protect your bike with Feather
Anecdata: I grew up in Fort Collins and I'd never heard it called the Denver Walk before. It sounds a lot cooler than "pedestrian scramble" though, so maybe I'll just start sprinkling it in casual conversation and see if it catches on.
...now I just need to find some casual pedestrian safety conversations.