Murder near the Eiffel Tower

[phread]

Last night, around 6pm a 17yr old boy stab a 21yr old neighbor on a small, quiet street, just east of the Eiffel Tower. Immediately following the murder several youths headed down the rue de Commerce, bashing in shop windows and vandalizing cars.

The word in the paper is that they are from rival neighborhood gangs. This is my neighborhood, so I know that the area is infested with drug dealers (I hear it from the school and see them in action... one is a delivery guy from the local Franprix). And this is the second time this year they've gone on a rampage down the rue du Commerce.

Finally, I have friends with 18 yr old sons who live in the 5th and 7th. Both boys have warned me against letting my girls go anywhere near the south end of the Champs de Mars on their own in the late afternoon, early evenings. Even they are afraid of this area.

I am not trying to engender panic, but it would advise those visiting this area to make a point of staying away from groups of teens.

[Happygoin]

Wow. With the dependency on tourism in Paris, do you think the police will be diligent in stopping these hoodlums?

[Truffaut]

watch it, Phread! Reporting such unsavory things about the sacrosanct Rive Gauche could get you stricken from the Rick Steves Honor Roll

[luckyluc]

Geez! I now feel even more safer in the 11ème !

[phread]

Happy - the police are much more concerned about the safety of those of us who actually live in this neighborhood than with tourists, thank heavens!!! You'd be surprised, but France has a thriving international economy that depends on things like the nuclear, luxury, fashion, agri-food, retail, airplane and chemical industries. This country would survive without so many tourists to Paris!

Truffaut - I was banished years ago for debunking RS's claim to have "discovered" the rue Cler area!

Lucky - you have good reason. There was a riot near St michel recently (rambunxious football fans) and the only riot I've ever witnessed was in front of the Bon Marche during the last round of major protests.... all of it Rive Gauche!!!

[GitteK]

I guess Cara Black just found the new subject for her next book !!

[fourthrock]

My last full day in Paris, just over a month ago now, I witnesses two beatings on the streets of Paris. The first sort of woke me from my sleep that morning and here is what I blogged: “Even from my remote (and très secure) vantage point four warm floors above that cold wet street I can hear and see a body contorted by the pain of a blow to the face. I wish it wasn’t a woman, but it is. One can’t image such things playing out on the streets if the players had other places to go but now long after the gates of the Asian deli where this began have shut them out the players still stand about on the street. The gendarmes and the police, there is a difference here I think, they aren’t about, have more important things not to do this morning. I suppose if either the victim or the perpetrator were more important people there might be charges of an out-of-class beating to deal with but it looks like these folks will be left to lick their own wounds this morning. Who knows what precipitated this outburst; an unpaid bill, money spend elsewhere, a promise broken? Golly, if being in the company of others involves such risks, well, why risk it? Anyway, back to the street, our friends are moving slowly away closing whatever establishments are unfortunate enough to be open along their way. Their play is moving into the realm of theatre. The lighting couldn’t be better done; a gray Paris morning, the yellowish glow of those new fangled street lights, bright white beams of passing headlights, and then the chaos of colors from commercial signage. I’ve got some easy listened French station tuned in on the radio behind me with French singers crooning about their hopes, their dreams, and their loves. Just no curtains to pull, the French don’t seem to believe in curtains.”

I said two beatings, well once the coast was clear on the rue de la Roquette I headed out walking back toward the center of town along the route taken by the Ligne 69 l’Autobus. I was in a very picturesque area I believe they call Village St. Paul, part of le Marais, n’est-ce pas, a très upscale area, when I witnessed another man knock another woman down to the cobblestones and begin throwing objects at her. There were other bystanders closer who eventually came to her aide but I was just heartbroken by this time. I went and spent the rest of the afternoon at Pére Lachaise walking among other, albeit more peaceful, reminders of senseless violence. Anyway, fear not, I am not the least turned off towards Paris, the French have not cornered the market on violence, hardly, really it only reinforces my feeling that Paris is so very very full of life and sadly violence is dare I say an inescapable part of life.

BTW, I'll be back in Paris Monday morning and as luck and tradition would have it the Eiffel Tower is my first stop. I walk up to the first level to mail Christmas cards with that special postmark back to the States. I'll try to keep out of harms way and spend the rest of my time there near chocolate shops!

[Happygoin]

I am duly chastened, Phread. Mine was a poor choice of words. I do know that France is a world leader in many fields other than tourism. It's also one of the leading tourist destinations in the world. Of course, I didn't mean to imply that Parisian residents weren't worthy of the same (or more) diligent efforts to keep them safe from crime.

[ray]

The fact that the incident is news worthy speaks to how relatively safe Paris has been.
In almost every American city a fraction of the size of Paris gang violence is too prevalent.
I hope the police and the local neighborhood communities will work together and curb it before it escalates.

[Jody]

I waas thinking the same thing Ray. We've had 127 murders here in our small city this year so far. Most just get a line or 2 in the papers

[sunshine817]

And demarais, I know all too well how many of those 127 murders are NOT random acts of violence, despite the sharp intake of breath from the press (one is too many, but sadly it's unavoidable) -- they're crimes of passion, and/or an illicit deal gone wrong, much of the time. The folks at Disney have nothing to be worried about!

[Jody]

We seem to have lots of senseless drive-by shootings.

[joan1]

I think the warning is good Phread, I mean everyone should be aware they are in an actual city, not Disneyland with good food.

As pointed out though, Paris seems to have nothing on many cities in Canada,, we have quite the drug and gang issues ,, and today a lady was shot in the head with her four yr old child sitting in the back seat of her car.... a drug excution they say.. the gangs are now going after the families of each other! Yesterday in my small city a homeless woman was pushed n front of a bus and killed by two drunks...

crime is everywhere, and one should always use common sense. I avoid crowds of teens even here at night.

[phread]

I avoid crowds of teens here, even in the day. Last week a woman who was part of a crowd of teens shoved me towards a wall and pulled my hair. I was just walking to the post office. Really minding my own business.

Paris is getting rougher. Nothing like the US, but in Jan. I had my little adventure, my friend's son was beat up and his other son was pickpocketed. My daughter's school put out a warning because FIVE kids were mugged in one day.

I agree that it is stil safer here than in many US cities. But it is not as safe as Paris was even a year ago.

[suzanne]

Sad but true. I'm afraid.
A few years ago in Paris I saw two guys get into a fight over a parking space. They were really going at it. I was glad when the police finally showed up. Of course I saw a similar scene here in my own town at my Albertson's last Christmas eve.