Aggressive begging in Cologne: escalate political debates!

Aggressive begging in Cologne: escalate political debates!

In Cologne, the topic of homelessness and aggressive begging is currently being discussed intensively. The city has recently had a striking increase in homeless and strongly alcoholic people on the streets. This not only ensures a worrying picture, but also raises fundamental questions about the social problems in our society. How do we deal with these challenges as Cologne? This question has called on various parties and citizens' initiatives that suggest all their solutions.

The mayor candidate of the AfD, Matthias Büschges, has formulated clear demands regarding the aggressive begging. He reports on people who ask for money in the KVB railways or on the street corners and become inappropriate. Büschges pleads for the introduction of the Darmstadt model in Cologne, which, among other things, prohibits a ban on active begging and the ban on addressing passers -by directly. His goal is to protect Cologne from harassment and revise the regulations for street musicians because he considers the current regulation of 30 minutes unreasonable. The awareness of the KVB is intended to help the problem under control, so Express.de.

extreme problem in the city

But the problems in Cologne go beyond the aggressive begging. District Mayor Andreas Hupke of the Greens speaks of "extreme excesses" of homelessness, which not only strain the streets but also social interaction. He calls for a round table where experts and responsible solutions are supposed to develop. The city already has a wide range of help with various contact points for homeless people, including drug consumption rooms for health support. Nevertheless, the demand for help is great, while many affected people do not want to live in appropriate accommodations or do not want to fall back on the offers based on addiction problems, as [https://www.rundschau-online.de/koeln/extreme-auswuechse-MeMen-Mehr- und- Aaggessives-bett-in-koeln-291806) reports.

Surprisingly, there are many homeless people during the day in busy places, where they work by collecting bottles or directly begging. According to estimates, around 532,000 people are homeless in Germany, including around 47,300 obesity. The main cause of loss of apartments is rising rents and rent debts that are particularly dramatic in large cities such as Cologne. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the number of social residential offers has dropped greatly, which is documented at [Statista] (https://de.statista.com/themen/13522/ Wohnungungs-und-obdachlosen-in-deutschland/).

social pressure and fears

An intruder in the discussion is also the dazzling burden for residents and business people, who repeatedly point out that aggressive begging prevents many of frequenting certain places. An incident in which a homeless person died in front of a cinema has triggered additional concern. The citizens' association Eigelstein is calling for better coordination and a project manager for homelessness to help those affected, while Annett Polster expresses concerns about city marketing that tourists and business people of the city could turn their back on if the situation does not improve.

This dynamic from a social need and economic pressure shows that there is a need for action. Cologne citizens and politicians are asked to work together for better cooperation. An overall concept seems urgently necessary to decide the challenges of homelessness and aggressive begging and to find a humane solution that takes both the needs of the population and the homeless.