#284: Spree drowning, Görli shooting, Tesla protests
The pregnant oyster once tried to close
Hey 20 Percent!
Well, that’s it. No more (bank) holidays until October. If you want time off to enjoy the summer weather you’ll have to do it the old fashioned way — call in sick.
While the rest of Germany gets May 30 off for Corpus Christi (whatever that is), we all have to toil a full five days next week and get annoyed when trying to call co-workers in other parts of Germany.
At least we get International Women’s Day off in March and they don’t.
Have a good weekend!
Andrew
PS: Please visit today’s sponsor, tech bootcamp Ironhack which now has an AI school. And consider upgrading your subscription to paid or contributing on our Patreon so we can keep the lights on here.
Tesla protest camp can keep protesting
A camp protesting the expansion of Tesla’s plant in southeastern Berlin can remain after the Brandenburg police lost lawsuits in two different courts, according to Tagesspiegel. Police had hoped to force the protestors to remove treehouses in order to extend their live-in in a forest near the factory but a local and regional court said the treehouses can stay. Protestors are trying to save a forest adjacent to Tesla that will be cleared to make way for a new logistics center that would also connect the electric carmaker to Germany’s rail network. The protestors may also sue to halt the expansion. The protests have also included an attempt to storm the plant as well as a fire at a power pole that halted production for over a week, though it also affected other nearby companies.
Man drowns in Spree
The Spree (and all the other various bodies of water) are tempting in this weather but please be careful and know your limits — this newsletter has taught me that water-related accidents are more common than I ever knew. A 31-year-old man died Sunday after leaping into the Hauptstadt’s main river near Holzmarkt, according to RBB24. Witnesses tried to rescue him after it became clear he was in distress but only divers from the fire department were able to get him to the shore. He had to be rescuscitated but then later died in hospital.
Görlitzer Park shooting
A man was shot in the leg in Görlitzer Park at about 8am Sunday after he refused to hand two robbers his mobile phone, according Polizei Berlin. The robbers fired a warning shot between the 32-year-old victim’s legs when he resisted, motivating him to take off toward Wiener Strasse. One of the robbers then fired two shots at the man, hitting him in the thigh. Witnesses followed the two attackers and were able to detain one until police arrived — the second attacker as well as the gun were found in a nearby bush. Both attackers were later released after cops confirmed their identities.
Factoid
The roof of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt — known as the Kongresshalle at the time — collapsed on this day in 1980, injuring five. 110 meters of the roof along the front of the building, which we all know as the Schwangere Auster (Pregnant Oyster), collapsed, sending 600 tonnes of concrete plunging to the ground. Among the injured were two reporters for Sender Freies Berlin, one of whom died six days later. The accident spawned a Berlin urban myth — that the Berlin band Einsturzende Neubauten (Collapsing Buildings) was named after the collapse, but the band was founded over a month earlier. The building re-opened seven years later after a lengthy discussion about whether it should even be rebuilt.
Some events picked by our friends at The Next Day Berlin:
Performance: Ricardo Carioba + Tiago Tebet
Opening Thursday, 23.05, 7 - 10 pm. The showcase is located on the central platform of the U-Bahn Station Alt-Tempelhof, U6.
The Brazilian duo presents a new performance where chaos is introduced as an element that makes public space a window that vibrates between the intuitive and the radical. 🎧 /// ////
Music: Polifonic Showcase
Saturday, 25.05, 2 pm - 6 am. Else, An den Treptowers 10, 12435 Berlin. Tickets: €16.50.
Festival and label Polifonic curates 18 hours of lush electronics and cutting-edge sounds at Else with DJs 🎧 Lena Willikens, DJ Plant Texture, and more. We recommend attending the day party when it takes place outdoors.
Art: Poetics of Encryption: Finissage
Sunday, 26.05, 11 am - 7 pm. KW Institute, Auguststrasse 69, Mitte. Free admission.
Based on Nadim Samman's book, "Poetics of Encryption" examines how technical systems capture and distort our reality, featuring works by over 40 international artists across analog and digital media. DJ set at Courtyard from 5 pm.
For more events and culture, sign up to The Next Day Berlin!
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Of course they were released… Perhaps, also got a compensation for the detention
This Görli shooting has my head spinning. (A) How can anyone be that brave when faced with an attacker, let alone one with a GUN! Both the target and the person that detained them. Wow! (B) And the gunman was released?? What?? What's the story there?