The imposing gates of the Buttes Chaumont park (19th arrondissement) reopened their doors on Tuesday afternoon. The day after the reopening, athletes are running, elderly people are walking, and a few children are stretching their legs. Nothing suggests that earlier this week, the remains of a dismembered woman, and now identified, were found in the park. There is only “much less frequentation than usual, estimates Elsa, who goes there daily. Even for a working day, it should be fuller. »
“I remain extremely shocked at the speed at which the park was reopened,” says Assia, a young resident in her twenties. The day before, investigators unearthed human remains near the park. “I have the impression that we move on too quickly to something else, as if nothing had happened. »
“I am not surprised that this could have happened”
Accustomed to horror, or still in denial, some say they are little affected. “I will surely sound a bit cynical but in such a big city, and in such a big green space [de 25 hectares], I’m not surprised that this could have happened, says Elsa, who lives very close to the park. Everyone knows that people enter there at night. “As a young mother, Elsa also seeks to know as little as possible. She walks there every day, with her newborn baby in the stroller, and does not really want to taint the vision [qu’elle a] of this beautiful place. »
“And then, what is shocking is the discovery, believes a local resident. Afterwards, on a daily basis, we don’t really think about it. “His friend Jessica even claims to take the situation lightly. “Just kidding,” she says. But the two friends can’t help but wonder what would have happened if their dogs had found the remains instead of the park agent. “We would have been shocked otherwise if they had brought an arm or a leg back to us…”, shades Jessica.
“It’s complicated to feel safe in the 19th today”
“What happened is worthy of a horror movie,” says Assia, a neighborhood babysitter. People don’t realize that we found a head, near a park full of children playing. The little girl she keeps relativizes, as for her, strangely well. Like many, her parents spared her details, to save her from the horror of the situation.
This Wednesday, they also asked Assia not to take her to the park as usual. They feared their daughter might come across some crime scene banners, or other things that might shock her… “until they saw people walking around like nothing happened. »
Even if she does not let her worry show in front of the child, Assia does not feel reassured. “It’s complicated to feel safe in the 19th today. First there was the story of Manin Street [le meurtre de la jeune Lola, qui s’est aussi produit dans le 19e arrondissement], then now this one. This hit everyone hard. »