Policing and Social Activism in Château Rouge, Paris

The neighbourhood of Château Rouge in Paris’s 18^th arrondissement is home to a large foreign-born population of residents and has been called “Africa in Paris.” However, while the neighbourhood is often labelled as “exotic” it has also earned a reputation for being one of the more dangerous and lawless neighbourhoods in Paris. In 2012, Château Rouge was listed as one of 15 “priority security zones” by the French government, leading to increased police action on unlicensed vendors, prostitution, theft, occupation of public spaces and drug trafficking. While the local government has created political and economic interventions that seek to solve these problems, local residents have taken to online blogs and forums to complain and raise awareness about what they deem to be Château Rouge’s “real” problems: the failure of the police, the municipal destruction of old buildings and classic architecture for redevelopment, and “mono-commercial activity,” or a lack of commercial diversity in the neighbourhood. However, while these online discussions often commence with a statement of support for the neighbourhood’s cultural, religious or national diversity, it is evident that some of the products of Château Rouge’s multiculturalism—halal butchers, African hair salons, “ethnic” grocery stores and a large concentration of African migrants—are a source of discontent for many residents. Based upon ongoing research in Château Rouge, this paper presents evidence of social and political policing efforts and government-led gentrification that attempts to control a “lawless” and “dangerous” neighbourhood while concealing growing discomfort with this “ethnic enclave.”