"There are people who follow us behind the cars when we come home at night, they see us and they tear our bags away from us", relates a resident of the Quatre-Routes district in La Courneuve.
In this part of Seine-Saint-Denis, members of the Chinese community are frequently victims of targeted attacks.
Among delinquents, the Chinese of Aubervilliers or La Courneuve have the reputation of carrying a lot of cash.
In 2016 Chaolin Zang, a Chinese fashion designer, even lost his life in an assault for the theft of a pocket supposed to contain money.
In reality it only contained a few treats and a laptop charger.
“Thieves say Asians always have cash in their pocket.
People think we have two or three thousand euros, but that's not true.
It was the older generation, ”explains an inhabitant of the area.
Vigilant "patrols"
In an attempt to stem the phenomenon, men from the community regularly patrol near sensitive areas: “We have colleagues who are in Quatre-Chemins (Aubervilliers), Six Routes (La Courneuve), Pantin and Bobigny”, details our guide.
During their night patrols at metro exits or in underground car parks, they accompany their “compatriots safely home”.
According to the group leader, no one in his team “thinks of himself as a vigilante.
If we see a thief, we catch him and hand him over to the police ”.
An initiative which if it is not illegal makes the municipality react: "As soon as we heard that they were getting involved in these procedures, we went to discuss with them and we explained to them that they should also be accountable to justice if there were to be incidents, ”said Gilles Poux, the mayor of La Courneuve.
Among the "patrollers", it is ensured to remain within the framework of legality and to encourage the Chinese victims of theft to "go and file a complaint" when they are victims of theft.
For its part, the town hall of La Courneuve has increased the number of municipal police officers present in sensitive areas since September 1.