#305: No appointment needed for the Bürgeramt?
Museum Sunday turns three!
Hey 20 Percent!
An item below about how our mayor now wants to fix the broken Bürgeramt appointment system (that he hasn’t been able to fix) reminded me of a conversation I had with a Munich federal police officer when I returned from the US in April.
The cop was annoyed because my permanent visa card had expired in February and I hadn’t gotten a new one. I know, I told him, but I lied and said I’d had an appointment several weeks out before being called to the US for family reasons. The truth was I just couldn’t be bothered to wade into (yet more) Berlin bureaucracy for a dumb piece of plastic that confirms what his computer was showing him anyway.
“You’re breaking the law,” he said. I know, I countered. But then muttered “Berlin” and “appointment” and “impossible”.
“Yes, it’s mayhem in Berlin,” he agreed in condescending Bavarian and waved me through.
“Berlin” isn’t just the capital of Germany, it’s also an excuse. I’m going to start using it more often. “Sir, why haven’t you paid your fine?” “Berlin.” “Your car’s registration has lapsed!” “Berlin.” “Why didn’t you do this dishes?” “Berlin.”
Have a good, possibly fall-like weekend!
Andrew
PS: I’m co-hosting the latest recording of the Radio Spätkauf podcast with co-founder and comedian Dan Stern Sunday at House of Color at 3pm in Kreuzberg. Tickets are free (but you can donate).
No appointment necessary. Maybe.
If you can’t deliver on your promise, just make another. Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) told Morgenpost (paywall) it’s been more difficult than expected to make it possible for us to get an appointment at the Bürgeramt within 14 days (as he promised). He said we’re to blame for the issue — people continue to look for an earlier appoitment after getting one six weeks out but fail to cancel the original if they find a new one (victim-blaming much?). His new promise? He wants to make Wednesdays appointment-free days. Just show up and … wait forever, I guess. Bürgeramts have been appointment-only since 2012 but Wegner and his office now want to make them a mix of free-for-all and appointment. Luckily, we already know he can’t deliver on his promises.
Do bureaucrats know your Uber driver is sketch?
Sometimes it’s not incompetence, it’s corruption. Or at least that’s what Berlin officials fear. An external consulting firm is looking into lax licensing practices at the Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (the Bürgeramt to you and me) after several cases of fraud were uncovered among Uber, Bolt and other ride-sharing drivers, according to Tagesspiegel (Paywall). Unscrupulous operators have been renting out cars to unlicensed drivers for a cut of the revenue while others were discovered driving with fake commercial licenses. Companies have also found ways around required social contributions, allowing them to lower the costs of rides. The consultant will compare Berlin’s licensing practices with those of Munich, Hamburg and Düsseldorf, where things are apparently not so suss.
📯 Postkutsche 📯
Reader Elizabeth asked in our comments: Considering all the promotion of Berlin Pride related events in past newsletters, it’s disappointing to see no mention of the violent police aggression and arrests at two LGBTQ marches last weekend.
Bitte schön: About 10,000 people protested during the Dyke March on July 26 in Neukölln in what turned out to be a chaotic and sometimes violent event, according to taz. Police arrested 28 people for insults and anti-democratic slogans, according to Emma, as the parade was usurped by a number of groups including pro- and anti-trans protestors as well as pro-palestinian demonstrators. Participants were also attacked by homophobic bystanders. Cops several times forced themselves into the parade to apparently arrest or prevent participants from shouting anti-semitic or other forbidden chants.
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Factoid
Oh they grow up so fast! Museum Sunday — where everyone gets free admission to Berlin’s public museums — turns three this Sunday. The program now includes 80 museums and has attracted 2 million museum visits in its three years. And museums have offered 5,000 special Sunday events (mostly free guided tours). The weather’s going to be bad anyway — thinking about a stop at one of the neighborhood museums like Neukölln, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg or possibly Mitte.
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Half of the services Bürgeramt offers must be done online, without any appointment or showing up on Wednesdays. What a petty clown that boomer is.
As someone who attended dyke march and witnessed the arrests, at least some of them were arbitrary police violence aimed at supporters of Palestine who were not chanting antisemitic or otherwise illegal things.