Overview
- Citing a letter to the mayor, Interior Minister Roman Poseck said on May 21 that the number of severely addicted people in the area has risen by about 50 percent since spring 2025.
- Local hoteliers, restaurateurs and shop owners have formed an alliance led by Florian Jöckel and say they have sought legal counsel and will sue if the city does not act to halt economic damage from the concentrated scene and nearby construction.
- Police report they intervene repeatedly against public drug use and camping but say their options are limited because the city has not provided adequate places to send or treat people who are moved on.
- The city points to a planned addiction support center at Niddastraße 76 as a long-term fix but now expects the facility to open around the end of 2027.
- The dispute has sharpened a political split between calls for quick public-order measures and advocates of harm-reduction services, with possible near-term effects including legal fights, more policing, and pressure to speed up addiction services.