A few weeks ago, the advertisement of the "unexpectedly wonderful" Vilnius caused a storm of indignation that had not been seen for a long time. However, Vilnius residents living near the Hale market place in the center of the capital should really have something to say to the people complaining about the unattractive images broadcasted.
For years, this place has been attracting antisocial and often even dangerous individuals who simply squat all the entrances of the market place.
The secret, according to the locals, is that one shop sells cologne at a very low price here, a strong spirit liquid that some people sometimes use as a cosmetic product, while those who cannot afford expensive alcohol simply drink it.
Vilnius residents living around the Hale market place claim that they have been calling for help for many years - because of the gathering of homeless people and drunkards there is constant danger here, last year a person was even stabbed in this place.
On his part, the executive director of Halė market, Leonas Jucys, knows and understands the problem, but regrets with sadness that the situation will not change until certain laws are changed.
Residents have been shivering for years
Recently, Go Vilnius created an advertisement about the capital city that outraged netizens quite a bit - the video clip does not lack the most prominent Soviet stereotypes: old apartment buildings, hooligans, a man urinating on a brick wall, fights near containers, outdoor toilets, a market on car hoods, food in jars.
However, people living very close to the center of Vilnius say that you don't have to look far for such images - just come to Halė market.
"Hale Market sells 100-150 bottles of strong cologne every morning. This is how dozens of urban degenerates gather here - they defecate, urinate and pollute here. There is no other cologne outlet in the area, because no owner of the premises rents the premises for such a business. And the Halle building belongs to the municipality.
The municipality, although it has all the tools, neither stops nor restricts the work of those shantytowns," Vilnius residents who present themselves as the Old Town community and write their observations on the Facebook account "Halės turgus" told the news portal lrytas.lt.
According to one of the representatives of this community, the former municipal government ignored all the residents' requests - now the situation is a little better, but still unenviable.
"The current government allocates additional resources, we receive attention from public order officials. However, it does not change the essence too much - Halle continues to sell that cologne. We have lived there for three years. Neighbors say that it has always been like this for as long as they can remember," said a resident of the old town.
There are also very painful incidents in this place - for example, last year a person was stabbed near the market.
"The community called the police at least three times for the same trio that day. That cologne attracts recidivists on parole from prison. We have always said that many of those homeless people are hardened recidivists who have been in prison a dozen times," explained one of the people managing the "Halė market" Facebook account.
According to him, the price of a bottle of cologne is less than two euros.
Selling "only for myself"
Tuesday, 10 o'clock in the morning. To make sure that what the residents are saying is true, we went to the market place of Halle ourselves.
Although at that time it was quite calm near the market, and the rumored "recidivists" were not seen, soon several intoxicated persons were already standing by the main stairs.
The inhabitants of the old town had mentioned that cologne could be bought in a small shop right next to the entrance to the market, on the left side. We asked the standing group if this liquid could really be found there.
"There is. Although it will not be sold to anyone. You have to be your own," stated one of the men we met.
"And what do you need to be yourself?" we asked him.
"After all these years, he already knows who to sell to," the man answered.
After seeing the camera, the group of friends no longer wanted to communicate with the journalists, but one of the men still managed to tell them that he lives right here, near the Hale market.
After going down the steps, we entered the aforementioned shop through a narrow passage. Two saleswomen were already chatting there.
The shop itself, at first glance, reminded me of an old grocery store in any small town - not very tidy, you can see hygiene items or sweets on one shelf, and bottles of alcohol lined up on the other.
The cologne could not be seen with the naked eye - according to the regulations, it should be hidden. After asking the saleswoman if it is possible to buy this cosmetic liquid here, she did not answer the question - she asked to discuss it with the manager of the marketplace. However, the woman admitted that she has not been defending drunk customers for many years.
Hands tied?
L. Jucys, executive director of Halle market, admitted that the problem really exists, and it is very serious. However, as he said, it is like a vicious circle, because not only the market place, but also the municipality, do not have great powers to solve this problem.
"What's the problem - cologne or mouthwash is intended directly for hygiene purposes, it is a cosmetic product. A certain contingent of people, quite frankly, drink it, and as a rule, these are antisocial persons, and no one forbade its sale. Because it is close the station, they all get together, spend money. Not only at the market, you will see them everywhere - they are resting, sleeping.
We already had a meeting with the vice mayor last year, with the public order department, police, they say: do something - put a guard outside. And we cannot operate outside, we do not have any authority to do so," said L. Jucys.
The executive director of Halė market explained that some places in the old town of Vilnius, including this market, have become a gathering place for drunkards - they come here not only by trolleybuses, but even by train.
However, according to L. Jucio, those people simply cannot be punished - because over so many years they have learned to behave in such a way that the service has nothing to cling to, and it is not legally possible to close the shop.
"I paint you this picture: the police come, they ask: what are you doing here?" Let's sit. And then what kind of offense does a person commit? We can't beat them, we don't have the right to search them, we have to call the police, and the police say they don't have the capacity. Now we are putting pressure on the businessmen who sell (cologne, - aut.post.) downstairs - we have increased the rent, inspectors are coming to see that there is order. But we will not ban them from drinking.
They also drink, for example, window washer fluid. That's the problem here - if we close, you think, they won't come together? They buy not only cologne, but also cheap beer in bambali and drink. They do not push, they know their rights very well, that no one will take them out, and they stay there. They meet in the morning - whether the market is open or not - and then suddenly disappear somewhere. This is such a fairy tale without end," said the executive director of Halė market.
According to L. Jucio, antisocial and drunken people are the pain point of the entire old town, which can only be solved by changing the laws and naming the corresponding liquids as alcohol.
"Don't think that this is the case only with us. The Gate of Dawn is nearby, there they collect kopecks from tourists, and tell me objectively - how can we ban this? It is possible to trade, it is not prohibited, so let them initiate such a law that it is an alcoholic drink, let them tax it with an excise tax or something else, and those people will not buy it.
They turn up in Vilnius because they make money, they also come from Vievis, Lentvaris, Kaišiadori, Pagiria, and disappear by noon. In the evening, when the outdoor cafes open, they appear again - then they collect money from foreigners, guests of the city," commented the interviewer.
L. Jucys said that he also sees the municipality's efforts to solve the problem, but in this case, everyone's hands are simply tied.
"It's a shame for the police, it's a shame for the doctors too, they say it costs us a lot, but it's not such a big crime that they stand there. It just takes and stands. And if he is not caught by the hand, he is not a thief, it is such a vicious circle", thought the executive director of Halė market.
"The municipality also has a lot of headaches, we only correspond in writing - they write, we reply, we write - they reply. So about nothing. This is a job simulation.
It seems to be our fault in the administration that they don't put lotion on their face and drink it instead. Businessmen say that they have already been checked by the Food and Veterinary Service, Alcohol and Tobacco Control, the Health Center, and the police are coming. Let's take this and initiate a law that it is also an alcoholic drink, let's make it more expensive," suggested the representative of Halė market.
They try to find solutions together
Vilnius city municipalities press representative Gabrielius Grubinskas emphasized that both the police and the municipality checked the merchants of the Hale market - the checks were carried out by both uniformed and non-uniformed officers.
However, according to him, during these inspections, no violations of the legal acts regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages, which could lead to the cancellation of the license, were found.
"Cologne is not an alcoholic drink, but a cosmetic product. The National Center for Public Health is responsible for the regulation of such goods. The Vilnius municipality sees the risks caused by cologne trade and the resulting problems, one example of which is the access to the Halle market, and is therefore ready to cooperate with national institutions on changes to relevant legislation.
The municipality is well aware that there is a sensitive problem in the approaches to the Halle market. We are grateful to the residents who raise this issue and seek to have it resolved. However, it is necessary to understand that in order to achieve a long-term positive impact, systemic changes are needed, the adoption and implementation of which take time," said the representative of the capital's municipality in the response submitted to the portal lrytas.lt.
However, according to G. Grubinskas, short-term measures are also used to solve the problem - for example, the patrolling of police and public order officers near the Halle market was increased.
"If intoxicated persons are noticed, depending on the situation, doctors or hostel transport are called.
Individuals are provided with not only short-term help (accommodation, sobering up, meals, etc.) - the specialists of the Social Services Center talk to people who do not have a permanent place of residence, try to motivate them to change their lifestyle, help them find a permanent place of residence and work", explained G. Grubinskas .
For his part, Tomas Braženias, Chief Specialist of the Communication Sub-Department of the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat, assured that the officers are responding to all received reports regarding drunken persons gathering near the marketplace. He identified it as a social problem, which, however, is being solved by joint efforts.
"Police officers ensure public order and seriousness. Vilnius Officials of the 3rd PK (on whose territory the Halle market place is located) have noticed that at the end of last year, on average, they received up to 6 reports per month regarding violations of public order near the Halle market (intoxicated persons in a public place, noise). Most of the time, after checking them, it is found that these drunken persons are without a permanent place of residence, who get drunk, possibly with cologne, near the entrances to the Halle market place.
We would like to emphasize that the problem of people visiting there and getting drunk is a general social problem, which the officials are solving together with the city of Vilnius. representatives of the municipality, with the owners of shops near the market, etc. Joint meetings are held, during which ways of solving this problem are discussed," T. Braženias told the portal lrytas.lt.
According to the representative of the capital's police, intoxicated persons gathering near the market do not pose any real danger to others - for their own safety, officers deliver intoxicated persons to hostels if necessary.
Author: Agnė Liubertaitė, Lrytas.lt
