I spy with my little eye

Remember? We all played this guessing game as children or with our own children, usually on long car journeys to our vacation destinations. In any case, I was reminded of it when our Chancellor recently sparked the debate about the city’s appearance with a few remarks.

The wave of outrage this triggered, some of it feigned, has shown that there are still topics in Germany that are not to be discussed, or at least not in the way people want to talk about. Things that people apparently don’t want to see.

For example, the increasing neglect of the city center. Youth violence, now also occurring in schools. Knife crime. Organized clan and gang crime. The loss of safety in public spaces. When women are afraid to take the commuter train at night or avoid certain streets on their way home, these aren’t just feelings; they’re reality.

Berlin is many things – but “feeling safe” is rarely one of them these days.

But anyone who addresses these problems and names a large portion of those responsible is quickly pushed into a moral corner by the professional outrage-mongers, aided by their media amplifiers. Most people know perfectly well what’s going on in the capital and in many other cities across the country. It just doesn’t fit everyone’s worldview, and so what mustn’t be, can’t be.

I think it’s time to stop looking away and instead take a good look. You can want a beautiful cityscape AND talk about the fact that our parks are filled with fear.

You can appreciate diversity AND clearly state that open drug crime is not an urban lifestyle characteristic. You can support integration AND expect clear rules for newcomers, rules whose violations have immediate consequences. You can expect the state to guarantee the safety of its citizens, day and night.

If someone refuses to pay their TV and radio license fees and ends up in prison longer than a repeat offender facing deportation, we ultimately pay a very bitter price – the loss of trust in our state. History shows where this can lead for all of us.

We need honesty in the debate. Looking away, remaining silent, downplaying, or relativizing doesn’t solve any problems. It exacerbates them—and ultimately causes entire neighborhoods to collapse.

As intermediaries in investment properties, we know: Before a neighborhood loses its value, it loses its safety, then its appeal, and finally its residents.

A cityscape isn’t a feeling. It’s the result of its citizens’ engagement, clear decisions, and the will to see problems, address them, and then tackle them decisively before they become insurmountable.

Berlin has everything a great city needs. It just needs to dare to look again.

Sincerely

Ernst-M. Ehrenkönig · CEO & Managing Partner