Despite opposition from the community, a new police station is set to open at Kottbusser Tor later this year. But more police is not the answer to the issues at Kottbusser Tor. Kotti is not just a hotspot of crime but, more importantly, a magnifying glass for social inequality. The real issues in the Kreuzberg neighbourhood: drug addiction, homelessness, flawed and repressive asylum and migration policies, over tourism, and gentrification pressures can’t and shouldn’t be addressed by a permanent police presence.
More police will only forcibly address these symptoms or push them out of the city center. This won’t solve anything, except perhaps for those hoping to profit from turning the area into a high-end urban residential and nightlife district.
Whether people want it or not, Kotti is going to change.
I produced this video as part of a group exhibition with 12 other artists, most of whom i spend a lot of time at Cafe Kotti. Our goal was to shed light on these issues. The exhibition “Beton Rosen” took place in May at the iconic bar, Cafe Kotti, which now faces a real threat from the upcoming police station being built right next to it.