If there are problems in public places in Munich, experts known by the acronym Akim often intervene. In Giesing, the all-party conflict management of the city was deployed in 2021 on two conflict-prone scenes. The conclusion: In the case of a project, it is still necessary to wait and see. In the case of the other, the conflict managers themselves did not have to contribute that much to its solution.
Case one included the area around Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche, Tegernseer Platz, Tegernseer Landstrasse and Deisenhofener Strasse. On the one hand, the Giesing City Library had asked for support because – as experts say – the “staying of people (groups) in the area of the main entrance”. The Obergiesing-Fasangarten district committee had also contacted Akim. “Individual complaints” have also reached them, according to the responsible police station. “People hang out there. Others don’t dare to walk past or speak to them because they feel disturbed,” says Brigitte Gans, head of Akim, summarizing the situation. This is one of the “classic everyday irritations” that the position deals with. According to the police, it was a matter of “disorders”. A “significant increase in criminal offenses” is “under no circumstances” to be seen.
Brigitte Gans is the head of Akim, the all-partisan conflict management.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
Akim works with “dialogical means” and with an “all-partisan approach”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/.”In reality, it’s about both sides,” says Gans, “the people who feel disturbed and those who supposedly cause the disturbance.” You have to look at it yourself, “so that in the end many small pieces of the puzzle create a picture of what is a burden on the place”. Therefore, from the end of August to the end of September, the situation was observed on nine dates, explains project manager Michael Wübbold.
Many users of the space come from the district, some of them are drug users or people who suffer from an addiction. But it’s not just patients from a nearby substitution practice. “When we looked, we realized: There isn’t one one group,” affirms Gans. “Blaming” – accusing – of certain people is “not helpful”. Instead, she recommends reminding yourself: “There are people who depend on public space.” And ultimately, each and everyone has the right to be in public space.
On the spot, one noticed that one could “talk well” to people. One of the reasons for this is that the Condrobs association with addiction help street work and a police contact officer are active in this area. According to Wübbold, there is no “desire for conflict”.
The events on the square are good for the atmosphere
The conflict managers initiated a round table on the conflicts on the forecourt of the Giesing train station. But the measures decided there never came about. Because Birgit Knoblach, head of the Giesinger Bahnhof cultural center, became active. “I just talked to people,” she says. In addition, there have been “only since last year” more events on the station square. People like that and it’s good for the mood.
And how is it at the main entrance of the Giesingen City Library? “It’s very difficult to say,” says manager Gerlinde Zimmermann. “We’ll have to wait and see how the situation develops,” she says, looking to the future.