After the riots and the ransacking of June 2023, the social center of La Devèze, in Béziers, has finally reopened

The reception has been moved: it is now located opposite the entrance door. Antonia Jimenez – ML

L'auditorium a été transformé en salle d'activités. Antonia Jimenez – ML

The community center and social center of La Devèze, Albert-Camus, in Béziers, was inaugurated this Tuesday, October 1st, after more than 5 months of work.

When he talks about the violence in La Devèze, particularly that which took place on the night of June 29 to 30, 2023, committed by around fifty young people, including minors, following the death of Nahel, Robert Ménard, the mayor of Béziers, is harsh. “These bastards who set fire to their own neighborhood […]”,he said this Tuesday, October 1, during the inauguration of the Albert-Camus community center and social center. This had, in fact, been ransacked and set on fire during the famous riots.

The City had therefore closed it, and, almost a year later (after the time of administrative procedures and cleaning), undertaken the necessary work to welcome back the inhabitants of La Devèze, “my neighborhood, the one where I grew up, to which I am very attached”, as the chief magistrate of Béziers repeated several times.

Hence the "anger"which he again displayed, alongside, among others, the prefect François-Xavier Lauch, the sub-prefect Jacques Lucbereilh, Fabienne Bertrand, the municipal councillor delegated to the community centres and the director, Karine Costa, during the inauguration.

“This neighbourhood is not a neglected neighbourhood”

“700,000 euros, that's what the work cost, “It's huge” , recalled the prefect, euros that were not put elsewhere” , before recalling the 60 million invested in the district as part of the rehabilitation programs of the National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRU). And to specify: “This neighborhood is not a neglected neighborhood! We have done half the work. Now we have to work on respecting public affairs, oust the traffickers, put schools back at the center of education, fight against idleness, put residents back on the path to employment…”

It is therefore a brand new social center that has been available to users for the various activities it offers for a week. “We took the opportunity to improve the community center”, said Gilles Étienne, director of the city's buildings department, in charge of the renovation project. The ground floor has been redesigned. The reception area is now located opposite the front door. A teaching kitchen has been set up behind it. The auditorium has been transformed into an activity room. The former reception area (on the right) now houses various offices, including the one-stop shop. The large glass roof, which had exploded, and the windows that had melted were replaced, the electricity and lighting redone, as well as the paintings, in light and salmon tones.

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