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Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Tuesday, October 28 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 100+ articles, posts and events so you don't have to.
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🇬🇧 Homeless in the Shadow of Berghain
Yesterday, The Berliner discussed guided walks led by formerly unhoused Berliners as a response to calls to deport homeless European Union nationals. On a route by Ostbahnhof and Berghain, guide Miriam recounts surviving domestic abuse, bottle-collecting, and safer spots to sleep, while project manager Clemens Poldrack warns of a hardening, antisocial political discourse. (The Berliner)
Germany’s 2024 Homelessness Report estimates about 531,600 homeless people nationwide after adjusting for 15,600 double counts. Around 439,500 were in the housing assistance system at end January 2024, with roughly 60,400 hidden with relatives and about 47,300 without any shelter. The government targets ending homelessness by 2030. (BMWSB)
These tours puncture stereotypes and reframe policy debates, connecting nightlife’s economies with street survival. But the need is growing faster than empathy. Berlin counted 53,610 people in homeless accommodation on January 31, 2025, and about 6,000 without shelter. (n-tv.de)
🇩🇪 Counseling center criticizes cuts to protection against violence for women in Berlin
Berlin plans two percent funding cuts across all anti-violence projects, despite a rise to almost 43,000 female victims of violent assaults in 2024. Groups like Lara e.V. say real reductions will hit up to 10 percent once cost increases are excluded. With only half the required shelter places, hotlines refuse up to 400 seekers per month, advocates warned yesterday. (rbb24)
Relief is planned but delayed. The Gewalthilfegesetz allocates about 2.6 billion euros to states from 2027 to 2036 via revenue sharing. States must ensure a needs‑based network from January 1, 2027, while a nationwide right to free protection and counseling for women and children begins January 1, 2032. (BMFSFJ)
The planned cuts risk longer waits and more refusals just as needs rise, widening the gap until federal funds take effect. Evidence points that way: in 2023, authorities logged 17,193 female victims of digital violence, a 25 percent annual jump, and 360 girls and women killed—nearly one femicide every day. (Bundeskriminalamt)
🇩🇪 News from the Berlin housing market: Expropriation is the way to go!
Yesterday, a Tagesspiegel column spotlighted Habersaatstraße 48–44 in Mitte. The 106-flat block was sold by Berlin in 2006, then resold in 2017 for 20 million euros. The owner filed to demolish, while only about 20 units remain rented and 86 sit empty. After court-ordered evictions last week, men posing as police allegedly forced residents out Friday until real officers intervened. (Tagesspiegel)
Official records show the site has been contentious for years. In February 2021, Mitte reported 85 of 106 dwellings vacant and noted demolition applications from late 2018. Under Berlin’s misuse ban, demolition requires replacement housing rentable at 7.92 euros per square meter. Talks and litigation over those conditions have continued. (Berlin.de)
This controversy could stiffen Berlin’s appetite for stronger misuse enforcement and bolder remedies, including socialization of large landlords. It also signals political risk for owners who keep homes empty. Voters already endorsed drastic steps: on September 26, 2021, 57.6 percent backed expropriation, with 1,035,950 yes votes and 73.5 percent turnout. (Wahlen Berlin)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇩🇪 Berlin and Potsdam: Federal police extend weapons ban at 16 train stations - checks reveal many violations | Berlin and Potsdam extend weapons ban at 16 stations after checks find widespread violations.
🇩🇪 Berlin district wants to specifically combat usurious rents - but can't | After a precedent fine, Pankow wants to fight rent gouging but lacks staff.
🇩🇪 Attack in Berlin-Zehlendorf: Unknown persons shoot at arrested dealer | A jailed dealer was shot leaving an open Berlin prison amid gang violence.
🇩🇪 Happiness Atlas 2025:Brandenburgers happier than ever - Berliners particularly satisfied with their leisure time | Brandenburg reaches record happiness while Berlin enjoys leisure but lags overall
🇩🇪 "Possession levels are far too high": Warken calls for stricter rules on cannabis use | Germany's health minister pushes for stricter cannabis rules, criticizing lax possession limits.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Tomorrow: FrauenWelten | October 29 - November 04, 2025 | €10, reduced €9 | Thirty-plus films from 20+ countries put women who resist violence and fight for human rights center stage — visceral, globe-spanning stories that provoke, uplift and demand conversation.
🎟️ This weekend: Christmas Fair on Landsberger Allee | November 01 to December 28, 2025 | Not yet known | A neon-lit winter funfair mixing dizzying rides (Ferris wheel, Christmas flight, kids' coaster), mulled wine, waffles and grilled treats—perfect for families and thrill-seekers craving festive chaos and sugar-fuelled nostalgia.
🎟️ This weekend: Theater der Dinge | October 31 - November 5, 2025 | Different fees depending on the production | International artists stage puppet and object theatre exploring autonomy—machines, control, and conscience—through anarchic puppets, poetic math, fairytale installations and live audio dramas. They rewire what "alive" means.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Advice Needed About a Mentally Unstable Neighbor | Residents weigh documenting incidents, pressuring management, or moving to escape erratic neighbor.
🗣️ Wo kann man kaputte Radwege oder gefährliche Verkehrsführung melden? | Practical tips for reporting broken bike lanes in Berlin, with mixed responsiveness.
🗣️ Health system question: is it possible to bring an MRT CD-Rom to any Orthopaedic doctor for assessment ( & not just the one that advised it) ? | You can see another doctor, but most prefer the written radiology report.
😡 Word of the Day: Backpfeifengesicht | Literal: Slap-pipe-face | Meaning: A face that you instinctively want to slap. | Example: Der arrogante Manager hat ein echtes Backpfeifengesicht. (The arrogant manager has a truly slappable face.)
👋 That's a wrap! Thanks for reading Berlin News Daily!
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