His presence was not required but the mayor of Livry-Gargan still made the trip to the Bobigny courthouse this Wednesday. It's been several weeks since Pierre-Yves Martin (DVD) checked the April 17 box on his calendar.
Today's hearing, at which his town as well as its neighbor Vaujours were represented by their respective lawyers, focused on the procedure for evicting residents of the slum on Allée de l'Est, a road which connects the two towns. The court has given itself one month to render its decision, which will be announced on May 17.
From May 2023, Roma families have invested in a plot of land straddling the two towns of Seine-Saint-Denis. First located on the Livry-Gargan side, the shanty town spread over the months towards homes in the neighboring town, on land that the municipality of Vaujours makes available to a farmer through an occupation agreement. Clearly visible from the former Nationale 3, less than a month ago it was populated by “more than a hundred people”, estimated Pierre-Yves Martin.
Denouncing "the slowness of justice" and "the complacency of the public authorities towards squatters", the elected official issued an order at the end of March to close the East Alley which is imposed "on all vehicles , with the exception of service vehicles, police vehicles, emergency vehicles and funeral directors.” The stated objective is to stem the expansion of the slum.
“Security conditions are problematic”
Beyond the issues of public peace, Pierre-Yves Martin and Dominique Bailly (Horizons), his counterpart in Vaujours, deplore the unworthy conditions in which its occupants live. “The living conditions of men, women and children are dramatic and the unsanitary conditions/insecurity are permanent: presence of rodents, garbage, risk of fire…”, underlined the second in a letter addressed to its administrators.
The mayor of Livry-Gargan points out another danger: the crossing on foot by certain inhabitants of the ex-Nationale. “Security conditions are problematic, both for squatters and for local residents,” he believes. He assures that his services have noted departures “for a week”. They could be occupants of the slum who feared their upcoming evacuation.
These residents are supported by the Solidarités International and Médecins du monde associations. When contacted, a manager of the latter NGO specified that their intervention on the site began last February.