海角大神

France鈥檚 poorest suburbs, or banlieues, have long struggled with notoriety as places where drug dealing, delinquency, and unemployment abound. Now, amid the country鈥檚 lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic, that reputation has only gotten worse. Local media reports continue to portray banlieues as hotspots for incivility and the propagation of the coronavirus.

It speaks to a discrimination felt twice over by those living with limited means, where many must continue working menial jobs during confinement or already lack adequate housing and resources.

It's also shortsighted, for the banlieues are where those like Piroo, a 20-something resident of the Paris suburb of Sartrouville, are making a difference. 鈥淔aced with this epidemic, I realized that [the nightly tradition of] clapping for health care staff wasn鈥檛 enough,鈥� says Piroo, who uses an assumed name in his charity work to protect his privacy. 鈥淲e needed to do something concrete for them.鈥�

So via his local organization, Les Grands Fr猫res & Soeurs De Sartrouville, he organized Sartrouville residents to donate time, food, and acts of goodwill to help those in need, particularly the country鈥檚 overtaxed health professionals. Through his efforts, numerous local businesses 鈥� as well as neighbors stuck at home 鈥� have donated food and prepared meals for local hospitals. And jumping off from a neighborhood cleanup program he was involved with last summer, he launched the #CleanTonHall initiative, calling on young people living in public housing to clean their buildings, in order to take the pressure off cleaning staff.

Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,聽all our coronavirus coverage聽is free. No paywall.

As France鈥檚 lockdown continues into its fourth week, banlieue-based nonprofits are working to highlight the inequalities experienced by those living in the country鈥檚 poorest neighborhoods and reverse the negative image surrounding them. They also intend to show that a unique solidarity exists there that is guiding local communities out of their darkest days and setting an example for the rest of the country.

鈥淭he volunteer sector is very strong in many working-class neighborhoods,鈥� says Sylvie Tissot, a sociologist and professor of political science at the University of Paris 8, whose research focuses on public housing and gentrification. 鈥淥ften times, people are united by shared hardship, poverty, and shortages. This creates solidarity between people and the desire to help one another.鈥�

Banlieue-bashing

Even if France has made strides in recent years to improve misconceptions around banlieues, their negative reputation has been hard to shake. Since France's lockdown began, people from impoverished communities have been photographed congregating outside in groups, having run-ins with police, or robbing shuttered stores.

惭茅迟谤辞辫辞辫, that aims to stop 鈥�banlieue-bashing,鈥� says France鈥檚 working class are neither irresponsible nor blind to the risks of the coronavirus, and that France鈥檚 suburbs have suffered stigma for 40 years.

鈥淭here has been a media portrayal pointing the finger at people from certain working-class neighborhoods, that they鈥檙e not respecting the lockdown, even if we can see the same behaviors in other well-to-do areas,鈥� says Virginie Lions, director of a community involvement branch of M茅tropop.

In addition, these same communities face double discrimination. Not only must they battle their negative representation, but they are the populations making the most personal sacrifices during the lockdown. While hordes of wealthy French set off for the countryside ahead of the lockdown or are comfortably working from home, the confinement has magnified the inequalities for those less fortunate.

Many continue to take public transportation to get to work, raising health risks, or find themselves confined to tiny apartments with numerous people. In homes where internet connections are shoddy or parents are uneducated, home schooling is next to impossible.

Medical deserts 鈥� communities suffering from a lack of health care professionals 鈥� are also deteriorating as the pandemic continues. Seine-Saint-Denis, the poorest department in the Paris region, has one of the highest death rates due to the virus, counting more than 500 as of early April and a 63% jump in mortalities during the last half of March.

鈥淏eing confined in the banlieue is different from anywhere else: no backyard, no balcony,鈥� says Madeleine, a young woman from Saint Denis who told her story to M茅tropop. 鈥淲hen I open my window, all I see is other buildings. Everyday I turn in circles, looking for something to occupy my time.鈥�

Others recount a constant police presence and undue violence toward its youth population. In early April, several videos circulated online of young people being thrown to the ground by groups of police after they were asked for the official form that French people must carry when venturing outside during the lockdown.

鈥淭he populations that are struggling the most are the ones who are the least protected,鈥� says Marie-H茅l猫ne Bacqu茅, a professor of urban studies at the University of Paris-Nanterre. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones who must continue working 鈥� as cleaners, delivery people, or supermarket cashiers. They鈥檙e fundamental in ensuring that our daily lives continue and yet they鈥檙e the least protected in terms of public health.鈥�

鈥淒iversity and solidarity鈥�

The shared discrimination and lack of resources that many in Paris鈥檚 banlieues face has acted as the glue that unites communities together. Living in close proximity to one another, often fighting the same fights, translates to a natural desire to reach out to one another.

鈥淭here is a form of solidarity that already exists here, people very easily organize volunteer missions,鈥� says Ms. Bacqu茅. 鈥淚n studies I鈥檝e conducted, when people are asked what characterizes their neighborhood, they say 鈥榙iversity and solidarity.鈥欌��

Many groups in Paris鈥櫬�banlieues have worked to change the negative image of their hometowns through community action 鈥� and they haven鈥檛 stopped their activities simply because of the coronavirus lockdown. If anything, it has made the push for volunteerism even stronger, such that the country has seen a big enough spike in volunteerism that many nonprofits are having to turn people away.

In addition to Piroo鈥檚 Sartrouville initiatives, a host of nonprofits are reorienting their activities to help some of the most vulnerable populations, who are even more isolated during the confinement period.

Emergence 93, which normally works to reintegrate former juvenile prisoners back into the community, has helped its youth organize a campaign to get donations for Seine-Saint-Denis鈥� homeless population. And nonprofit Fr猫res d鈥橢spoir, a brother-sister team that operates out of Limeil Br茅vannes southeast of Paris, has continued its volunteer actions of handing out food, clothing, and hygiene kits to homeless people across Paris.

鈥淧eople who live in the banlieues are normal. We have jobs. We鈥檙e not all druggies or throwing rocks at the cops,鈥� says Piroo, from his home in Sartrouville. 鈥淭here are some fantastic people that live here and there are really great things taking place.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,聽all our coronavirus coverage聽is free. No paywall.