#414: Ad-free Berlin, racist cop cadet, rooftop pools
Why isn't the U-Bahn air-conditioned?
Dear 20 Percent,
Summer’s back for a handful of days and Berliners are already complaining about the lack of AC and a dearth of rooftop pools. And I’m back in town after 10 days in homogeneous, low-key Scandinavia.
Last night, I spent an hour or two people-watching from a table at Ankerklause on Kottbusser Damm. The diversity, extraversion and flamboyance of Kreuzbergers passing by on a Monday night is a sight to behold. For all its flaws, I can’t help loving this city.
Some news below.
Maurice
Banish billboards from Berlin?
Those digital ad screens at tram stops are effing annoying. Nobody would miss them. The campaigners at “Berlin werbefrei" (“Berlin ad-free”) want to ban not just those ad screens, but also megaposters on buildings, billboards and other intrusive forms of public advertising. If they get their way, outdoor ads would be limited to posters at locations such as bus stops, construction site fences and public toilets. Half of posters would have to promote events or non-profit organisations. Seven years ago, Berlin werbefrei collected 32,456 valid signatures in support of its cause, which means the Berlin parliament has to vote on the campaigners’ proposed legislation by December. If local politicians vote against the proposal (they will), Berliners could get a chance to vote in a city-wide referendum on the issue as early as next year. I think this one could stand a better chance than the campaign for a car-free Berlin. Beyond people in marketing, who feels they need billboards?
Police cadet accused of racist assault
Berlin seems to be scraping the barrel when it comes to police recruitment. On Friday night, a 20-year-old police trainee allegedly racially insulted and assaulted a 49-year-old man at Alexanderplatz, kicking him in the head in front of the man's 11-year-old son. The cop-in-the-making, whose blood alcohol content was clocked at 0.19%, filed counter-charges, claiming his victim threatened him. Authorities are preparing disciplinary actions against the trainee, which could result in a ban from the profession. Two other trainees, aged 17 and 18, are being investigated for failing to offer assistance to the victim. All three had their police IDs revoked and are barred from entering police premises.
Rooftop pools for social housing
Inspired by Viennese 1970s housing projects, Kerstin Wolter of the leftwing Die Linke party, has proposed installing swimming pools on the rooves of social housing highrise building. Her contribution to the recurring beat-the-heat discussion. Of course, this is never going to happen in broke Berlin — maybe just build enough affordable housing before thinking about extra features — but it’s a fun provocation in a time of rising social inequality.
Boarders in the dark
Last night I watched a group of kayakers on a nighttime tour of the Landwehrkanal. Sensibly they each had a light. Apparently, stand-up paddle boarders have not been so prudent this summer. Brandenburg’s Wasserschutzpolizei has reminded SUP users to always carry a white light if boarding at nighttime. Better still, the cops say, just don’t board in the dark. It’s not that safe.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🤦Germany’s Merz faces backlash over partial arms freeze to Israel
🌳 Green tourism in the death strip
💻 Germany scores second wordwide on “digital sovereignty”
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
🍿 Wim Wenders Special – Three Films
Wed-Thu, 13-14.08, 8:45 pm; Friday, 15.08, 17:00. Prenzlauer Allee 7, 10405 Berlin. Tickets: €13
A short Wenders retrospective with Der Himmel über Berlin (13.08 - in German), Paris, Texas (14.08 - OmU), and Perfect Days (15.08 - OmU). Three meditations on memory, place, and quiet transformation.
🎷 Hyper Elastic Jynx
Thursday, 14.08, 8 pm. Donau115, Donaustraße 115, 12043 Berlin. Donation-based
A fresh quartet connecting Berlin, Copenhagen, and Oslo through wild saxes, textured guitar, and loose rhythms. With Signe Emmeluth, Nana Pi, Halym Kim, and Keisuke Matsuno.
🎶 Ilan Amores
Friday, 15.08, 8 pm – 12 am. Neue Zukunft, Alt-Stralau 68, 10245 Berlin. Tickets: €18
Argentinian artist Ilan Amores lands in Berlin with a mix of cumbia, lo-fi beats and spoken vocals. Stories from the margins, a punk attitude, and rhythms you can dance or just stand to. First time in town — probably a fun night.
🌞 ADIRA Summer Fest
Sunday, 17.08, 1 pm – 3 am. ÆDEN, Schleusenufer 3, 10997 Berlin. Tickets: €14-€23
One of the city's most loving parties returns with a full day of drag, DJs, open stage, trivia, food, and more. Expect sounds from the SWANA diaspora, Arabic pop, percussive rhythms, bass, and house.
📷 Polaroids: Group Show
Until 17.08. Tue–Sun, 11 am to 7 pm Museum für Fotografie, Jebensstraße 2, 10623 Berlin. Tickets: €12.
The Helmut Newton Foundation's “Polaroids” exhibition features works by Newton and 60 other photographers. It explores the Polaroid process, showcasing unique images that influenced photography, with selections from Newton's archive and OstLicht's historic collection in Vienna.
Factoid
It will be briefly hot again this week, meaning public transport will be warmer and smellier than usual. So, what’s up with the air-conditioning? Well, BVG says all of its buses are air-conditioned though that doesn’t entirely match my lived experience. Many newer trams have AC — though often it seems to be only semi-working. Meanwhile, U-Bahns aren’t air-conditioned because low tunnel height prevents installing AC units on the rooves of trains. Same story on the S-Bahn: Here just one-in-six trains has AC — which is why I love the new all-chilled Ringbahn trains.
Last year, I told you about a project I was working on: producing the film We’re All Going to Die, a “mostly funny” documentary about the sense of impending doom so many of us modern people feel. Anyway, after a run in indie German cinemas, Berlin filmmaker Ben Knight’s movie can be streamed for a few bucks right here! I’d love it if you gave it a watch. If you’re into this newsletter, I’m pretty sure you’ll like the film. Thanks, Maurice.
As a marketer, I am all for an advertising ban. But the funny thing? is I spent last three days capturing all the outdoor ads and marketing at different stations and bus stops in Berlin. 60% ads are usually annoying and about 20% are ads meant to encourage advertising because the companies aren’t buying the ads.
I really enjoy people-watching.
Roof top swimming pools is a bloody daft idea. For starters, it'd be stinking hot on the rooftop of a high-rise building, you'd get burnt to a cinder while in the pool trying to cool down. Solar panels would serve a better purpose.