The Berlin Mix in Danger
Displacement is also endangering the tenants of the Lause, whose continued existence there is threatened by a planned conversion of the work units into luxury apartments, luxury renovation, or sale for maximum profit. The livelihoods of many of the 170 people at the Lause are in real danger. In addition, there is the acute danger that with the loss of Lause, the neighbourhood would lose a key building block and provider of a diverse, often non-commercial possibilities for a large user base. This includes the vital work of Lause-based anti-fascist initiatives, such as NSU Watch.
Protecting Organic Social Structures
To deal constructively with the current situation, the tenants of Lausitzer Straße 10/11 have become organised established the Lause Lebt association to ensure that their voices are heard. We want to contribute our diverse skills, our large network (both local and international) and our commitment so that we can maintain the character of these buildings and develop them as a collective project. We have thus created a overarching vision, developed building blocks for our projects, sought out other organisations that share our aims, and thought hard about what we can achieve. As a place of solidarity, we want to open up Lause even further for the wider community: by redesigning and actively using the courtyards (with urban gardening and other projects) and the use of common spaces with an ambitious socio-cultural event programme (for the household collective and for the community), educational opportunities, community networking formats and a community canteen.
