Toulouse: in the Croix de Pierre district, dozens of migrants expelled from a squat live on the street
Since their eviction from a squat on rue d’Alès on July 8, several dozen migrants have been sleeping on the streets, waiting for housing. Their presence exasperates some residents who are fed up with “noise nuisance”.
In front of one of the buildings on the rue d’Alès, in the Croix de Pierre district, in Toulouse, three colossi are watching. Since the evacuation of the illegal squat on July 8, a security team has prevented the former occupants from returning. “Some claim to have forgotten a suitcase or another object in an attempt to enter the building,” says one of the security guards. According to the prefecture, rehousing solutions have been offered to all people.
However, a few hundred meters from where they lived illegally a few days ago, Albanian families were sleeping on the streets. Near the hedge that borders the dike, mattresses, sleeping bags and tents are piled up. “Every day, I call 115 (Samu social) to try to find a place for my family. But the truth is that nobody takes care of us”, plague Mathéo, 17, high school student, in almost impeccable French.
These migrants would like to leave the neighborhood, find accommodation to “live normally”. In the meantime, they prefer to stay here, organizing their new life for everyone to see. “When my family arrived in France, we settled in the squat on rue d’Alès. We only know this district, confides the young man. Even if we have nothing left here, we stay out of habit”.
In the neighborhood, a handful of residents come to their aid and bring food, hygiene products…
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For the rest of the residents, the presence of migrants causes discomfort. “During the day, these families are not too noisy, just visible. In the evening, it’s another song. Luxury SUVs come and go. There is prostitution and drug trafficking at night…”, assures a resident. A trader supports: “I lost part of my clientele since they settled. »
The families on the street retort that they do not pay into trafficking or prostitution. “Only in misery”, slips Mathéo, who hopes that the street will only be a passage. “If some are uncomfortable seeing us here, imagine how it feels…”