Imagine this scene: it’s September and word has it that Görlitzer Park in Kreuzberg is set to be completely fenced off and locked up at night by 2024. As the new year approaches, Berlin’s top honcho, Kai Wegner, shows no signs of backing down from his bold plan.

Do you recall when we first caught wind of this? Wegner made it crystal clear that the nighttime closure of Görli was merely a temporary band-aid – more of an experiment than a final solution. “We just want to ensure that Görlitzer Park remains a peaceful place. There’s no harm in trying this out for a year,” the CDU leader recently conveyed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. “I’m fully committed to getting this fence erected as swiftly as possible, so that Görlitzer Park can return to being a tranquil spot where families, children, teenagers, and the elderly feel secure.” According to Wegner and his team, locking up Görli at night will enable the police to focus on the surrounding streets.

However, here’s the thing – many people are not in favour of this notion. They argue that instead of curbing drug dealings or helping dealers find legitimate ways to earn money, shutting down the park at night will simply shift criminal activity into nearby neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, it appears that the security plan is forging ahead at full throttle. Just this month, a state-owned company was given the go-ahead to erect a sturdy fence around Görli, with almost two million euros set aside for the project.

The Great Görli Fence Debate seems poised to continue. Who knows, perhaps it will yield positive results and restore peace to the park. Or maybe it will only exacerbate existing issues. Time will tell, but for now, all eyes are on the fence that is poised to change the game in Berlin.