#410: Police violence, homelessness up, Tik Tok strike
Jail for jam thief?
Dear 20 Percent,
Christoph Brumme, a German writer who lives in Ukraine, was at the Bürgeramt in Pankow to renew his passport. To his horror, he was told he could only pay for his passport by EC Karte. No cash, no credit cards, no debit cards.
In a post Brumme wrote, “Only EC cards? I remember that they used to be carved out of wood here and transported through Berlin on donkey carts. But I don't have anything like that; I come from a modern country. I can pay in all kinds of ways, even with paper money, with a gold card, or virtually. But what am I supposed to do with EC cards? And why ONLY with them?”
I feel his pain. I’ve been in the same situation in the same Bürgeramt. I was instructed to travel to another Bürgeramt and pay the fee by by inserting cash into a machine. I obediently did so, wasting another hour of my life. Brumme, however, threatened to go on a hunger strike.
“The woman calls the director and tells her about a scandal that is brewing,” he writes. “Oh miracle, the woman has a good heart, and EXCEPTIONALLY, cash payment is allowed.”
The lesson here is probably that exceptions are always possible when it comes to bureaucracy in Berlin. If you raise big enough of a stink, miracles can happen. I’ll let you decide for yourself if you want to employ Herr Brumme’s radical methods.
Maurice
A big thank you to today’s sponsor, Feather.
Police violence once more?
The main CSD parade went smoothly Saturday with the notable exception of a 400-person neo-Nazi group that attempted to disrupt the parade. However, things did not end well for the concurrent pro-Palestianian Internationalist Queer Pride for Liberation march, reports RBB. The police dissolved the 10,000-strong demonstration prematurely near Kottbusser Tor because of, in their words, “attacks on police and anti-semitic slogans”. By this the police mean people throwing paint bombs and plastic bottles or shouting “From the river to the sea” (which a Berlin court recently ruled was not Hamas propaganda). Police used disproportionate violence and often just grabbed people arbitarily from the crowd, confirms taz. Fifty-seven people were arrested. A participant interviewed by RBB said, “A police officer suddenly ran up and grabbed a girl in the front row in a stranglehold for no reason at all.” Another said, “I saw seven or eight people being dragged away. Some were pushed behind the police lines and then taken to an alleyway – their faces were covered by police officers’ hands. They were led away in a position that was completely degrading – bent in half.” I was not at this demo but it’s my impression that the Berlin police have been using violence that is disproportionate to the alleged violations by protesters — and especially at pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
More and more homeless
The housing crisis is taking a huge toll. The number of people without a fixed residence has doubled over 2022, according to official stats released by the city government following a request by local Green politicians. The number of people sleeping on the streets or emergency shelters is up 11% to 6,032 while the number of people living in state-financed hostels and other accommodation is up by 85% to 47,260. 2,364 “hidden unhoused” people are thought to be living with friends or family. Government obviously needs to prioritise this issue — but it goes far beyond housing. It’s a sign of the massive and growing economic inequality stalking this country.
Caught red-handed
Kay H. is on trial for stealing strawberry jam. At 6:20am on May 18, the 48-year-old breaks into the Karls Erdbeerhof strawberry hut outside the Mühlen Center in Prenzlauer Berg. He stuffs 17 jars of jam along with two plush toy strawberries into his backpack. Jam-seller Jörg S. arrives just in time to witness the heist. The thief flees, Jörg pursues. Kay throws stones at Jörg, one hits him. Kay drops the backpack and runs into the backyard of a senior residence, where he is eventually discovered by police hiding amongst the trash dumpsters. A repeat offender, the robber could see up to three years behind bars if convicted of multiple charges, including grievous bodily harm.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🏠 Germany’s “turbo” housing plan
🎸 Germany’s biggest metal festival
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
🍿 2001: A Space Odyssey
Thursday, 31.07, 8–10:30 pm. delphi LUX, Kantstraße 10, 10623 Berlin. Tickets: €12
As part of the Nothing is Original exhibition, Kubrick’s sci-fi classic returns to the big screen — a major influence on Julian Rosefeldt’s eerie soundscapes and surreal imagery.
🪩 Berlin Beats: Ellen Allien
Thursday, 31.07, 7 pm – 10 pm. Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50-51, 10557 Berlin. Free entry
Prepare for a heavy techno ride: Ellen Allien brings her rave energy to the museum garden. It’s not club-level sound, but still worth every beat.
🎸 The Warlocks / Tō Yō / Go Mahhh
Friday, 01.08, 7 pm. Neue Zukunft, Alt-Stralau 68, 10245 Berlin. Tickets: €19.65
A night of heavy psychedelic rock, fuzzed-out riffs, and hypnotic noise. The Warlocks (L.A.) lead with their dense wall-of-sound psych; Japan’s Tō Yō adds explosive krautrock-inspired energy; and local trio Go Mahhh opens the night.🍽️Flavors of
🍽️ Chile – Ceviche und Pisco Sour
Saturday, 02.08, 2 pm – 10 pm. Atelier Culinario, Kyffhäuserstraße 21, 10781 Berlin.
The brothers behind Jurel Migrante turn Atelier Culinario into a cozy Chilean picada for one day only. Expect fresh ceviche (fish & vegan), milcao, house-made ice cream, and Pisco Sours—plus music, and stories from the South of Chile.
Factoid
Tik Tok is firing around 160 content moderators in its “Trust-and-Safety” office in Berlin. They’re being replaced by a combination of AI and lower-paid workers abroad. Last week they went on strike, demanding fair severance pay. “We trained your machine, pay us what we deserve.” It was the first strike ever in Germany by employees of a social media company.
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I’ve got an old EC card from 1994 will probably work if you get stuck 🤣