2023-07-17 08:00:10
A former resident of the Place Pleyel home in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis), in front of the construction site of the future Olympic village, April 2, 2021. OLIVIER DONNARS / LE PICTORIUM / MAXPPP
One more year before the opening of the Olympic Games (JO) in Paris, but Boubacar Diallo already knows that he will keep only bitter memories. Arrived from Mali in the 1990s, this worker in the construction industry is a historic resident of the home for migrant workers, place Pleyel, in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis). In 2021, he was forced to vacate the premises. The construction of the Olympics is accelerating and the residence, located in the heart of the future Olympic village, is razed.
The home was dilapidated – it was visibly deteriorating – but Boubacar Diallo felt comfortable there. “It was a fortress”, he remembers, thinking back to the common room where French lessons were held and where the residents took turns to prepare collective meals, in large pots. The solidarity circuit was well established there: between 20 and 30 euros per week and per person in the common pot allowed those who had not yet received their pay to eat their fill.
Adef Habitat, the property manager of the home, had made a commitment to the inhabitants to renovate it. Until this meeting in March 2019 where they are informed of its destruction, without the possibility of negotiation.
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“At that time, we were not offered any relocation solution. We were just kicked out”, remembers Boubacar Diallo. The residents then mobilize to find a rehousing solution before the eviction, initially planned for October 2019 before being delayed by the health crisis. Associations, inhabitants of Audon and elected officials are beginning to show their support. Concerned about its image, Solideo, the public establishment responsible for the infrastructure of the Olympic Games, agreed in February 2020 to finance temporary prefabricated accommodation, 2.5 km south of the former home.
A temporary solution that lasts forever
By pushing the door of his new room in March 2021, Bakary Diakité understood that it would be necessary to make a cross on the comfort in this temporary home. The only window in the room overlooks a crossroads, a few meters from the ring road. Even closed windows and lowered blinds, the roar of each car disturbs. “In the middle of the night, it is very noisy. People screaming, cars… I sleep very badly”explains the 36-year-old Malian.
Nicely painted, easily identifiable with other buildings in the district: from the outside, the prefabs blend into the decor. But the common areas are unsanitary because they are rarely cleaned, smells and waste accumulate on the stairs, in the corridors… And it is no longer possible to cook together: only a small room of about twenty square meters is available to get together.
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