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On October 5, 2022, the last camp of crack users was dismantled in Paris. One year later, what is the situation with crack consumption in the capital? Reporting.
The square Forceval (Paris)Stéphanie Benoist carefully avoided it for months. Here, between September 2021 and October 2022, several hundred crack users set up camp. Drug trafficking that took place in the open. “We were constantly attacked“, recalls Stéphanie Benoist, local resident and member of the “Villette Village” collective. The camp was evacuated by a thousand police officers on October 5, 2022. At the time, the State set itself an objective: eradicate the crack phenomenon.
The quays of the Saint-Denis canal, a new base
A year later, calm returned, but the fear remained. Stephanie Benoist always explains see drug addicts and drug dealers. On the ground, the presence of the police is visible, but you should not stray far from Forceval to find crack users. According to the prefecture, there is no longer a meeting point or meeting place for dozens of drug addicts. But two kilometers further, Place de Stalingrad (Paris)they are significantly more numerous. Some consumers and dealers have found a new base: the quays of the Saint-Denis canal between Paris and Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis).