Niklas P. trial begins Reflections on what has changed since “the black day for Bad Godesberg”

BONN · On Friday, the trial gets underway for the two suspects who are implicated in the death of 17-year-old Niklas P. Reporters Ayla Jacob and Silke Elbern spoke with those in the public eye about what has changed since that day.

The violent death of Niklas P. had implications not only for Bad Godesberg; it drew attention from outside of Bonn. Many discussions and opinions were laid bare in public. Some voices said that nothing was being done while others felt progress had been made towards resolving the issues associated with the beating death. The trial for main suspect Walid S. and alleged accomplice Roman W. gets underway Friday in the Bonn district court. On this occasion, General Anzeiger reporters Silke Elbern and Ayla Jacob spoke with people in public positions to find out what they think has changed since the death of the 17-year-old.

Simone Stein-Lücke, Mayor of Bad Godesberg: “The death of Niklas was a black day for Bad Godesberg. Like many others here in the district, it shocked me and affected me. It changed our lives and the call for more security has become louder. The subjective feeling of individual residents has played a large role since then - even if the objective situation and statistics often say something else.”

Father Wolfgang Picken: “At the beginning, the death of Niklas was talked about as a tragic and isolated case. Widespread concern among residents and media attention led to the themes of violence and social tensions becoming a bigger topic for the district.” He went on to say that some measures had been taken to improve the situation, helping to increase the feeling of security and that a concept was being worked on which addressed cultural and social differences. “Some things are happening but it was long overdue,” he said as he expressed the hope that people remain aware and involved.

Wolfram Kuster of GoRespect: “The increased police presence is successful and the level must be kept up. Other preventative measures have to be increased. Included in those are the One World Cafe and the efforts of street workers, as well as intercultural projects for youth and early, targeted individual social coaching for kids and youth.”

Ursula Brohl-Sowa, Police chief: “Since June, we have increased our presence, inspection controls, and preventative measures on location. In these efforts, more than 2,300 persons have been stopped; 21 of them arrested. “ She went on to mention the addition of two officers assigned to working with youth, the “Round Table on Violence Prevention” created with the city, cutting back greenery and more lighting for increased visibility. “The first measures have already been taken. Street crime in Bad Godesberg has gone down.”

Ashok Sridharan, Lord Mayor of Bonn: The Mayor said the trial would be a reminder of the terrible incident and would unite people in their sympathy for Niklas, and that we need to do everything to prevent such an incident from ever happening again. “In the meantime, the area where the crime occurred now has increased visibility because greenery has been cut back. Police and public order officers have increased their presence in Bad Godesberg. Residents have noticed this and welcomed it. We are still identifying other areas where people do not feel secure.” He also referred to his motion to the state to allow communities to determine on their own where they will set up video surveillance cameras.

Willi Mirgartz, School Director Otto-Kühne-Schule: “I still look around me when I am in a poorly lit underpass in Bad Godesberg or am on a side street now in the dark hours during winter,” said a tenth grader to school director Willi Mirgartz. The director said when he asked his students, many of them confirmed a feeling of better security as reported in the media - but not all of them. Many have come together through various events surrounding the topic and they have become more aware. His experience from a practical standpoint in daily school life is that the implementation of preventative concepts comes only in small steps. (Orig. text: Silke Elbern, Ayla Jacob)

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