Parents fight against drug trafficking around schools

In the Saint-Ouen town hall district (Seine-Saint-Denis), schoolchildren go home under the sun of a spring end of spring. A peaceful decor which, however, does not erase the troubled past of the place. A few years ago, the satchel casters vibrated in the middle of the watchers responsible for alerting the traffickers in the event of a police descent.

In 2015, a grenade was even found in a tree against primary school. Curly perimeter, confined children. Pauline Normier and her partner remember that day. They must wait to recover their twins barely 6 years old. “It’s going too far!” They say to themselves. With a dozen parents of students, they mobilize and the public authorities follow. The idea? Create coffee to change the face of the neighborhood.

A spectacular “cleaning”

An old vegetable bistro, closed curtain, victim of traffic. The parents brought him back to life under the name of “Pretty May.”

But at the time, the presence of coffee had not ended the activities of the dealers. The watchmen were still there, sprawled on a chair or a sofa. One night, a ball even pierces the glass of the coffee … It was not until a real police intervention to dismantle the deal point.

Something done in 2023, within the framework of the Net Place operation launched by the Ministry of the Interior as the Olympic Games approaches. A spectacular “cleaning” wanted as a strong signal in Seine-Saint-Denis. Since then, the dealers have deserted the premises … to settle a little further.

Displaced classes

In April 2025, the scenario was repeated. Traffic moves and is rooted elsewhere in the city. This time, it is the Emile-Zola kindergarten, surrounded by the buildings of buildings, which is struck. Recently, a child had come across a cannabis pouch in the courtyard. When he returned in the evening, he asked his mother: “Does it eat?” »»

Another time, the goalkeeper picked up sachets of cocaine … The town hall reacted: inspection at the start of the day, police presence morning and evening … “I was not quiet to leave my two little ones,” says Sarah, a forty -year -old who slalom between the dealers with her stroller to go and put her third at the crèche. Exasperated, the parents decided to act.

A relocation of the voted classes

On April 3, during a meeting organized by the town hall, the relocation of classes a few streets from there was voted, as soon as the spring holidays are returned. A temporary move that questions: isn’t that a victory for the dealers? “As early as the coming weeks, there will be associative and cultural activities,” says the mayor, Karim Bouamrane (PS), who also intends to restore security. A citizen start that recalls that of “pretty May.” “We knew that we were not going to stop traffic but we wanted to offer an alternative,” explains Pauline Normier, president of the association “Joli Mai.”

For Imrane, growing up in a setting where young people are asked by traffickers was normal. But he has always continued on his way to “pretty May”, where he was helped to do his homework. “Otherwise, maybe I would have fallen into drugs!” “Confends this 16 -year -old. What convince parents never to give up.