This is Capitalism No #1
A new measure in Frankfurt now requires those who sleep in public places to pay an on-the-spot fine. Homelessness in Germany has risen dramatically in recent years, with hundreds of thousands sleeping rough nationwide. In Frankfurt, the wealthy epicenter of Germany's finance sector, homeless people will now have to pay fines for sleeping on downtown streets. The move came as German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for better support for the nation's homeless on Monday.
Anyone who has alighted at Frankfurt's central train station will be familiar with the paradox of the city's central avenues: In the shadows of the city's skyscrapers and a branch of the European Central Bank, a surprising number of destitute citizens regularly seek shelter on the streets.
Originally reported by local newspaper the Frankfurter Rundschau, the new measure was confirmed by multiple city councilors: Those who sleep rough in the city's downtown pedestrian zone, either on the street or public benches, must pay an on-the-spot penalty for doing so.
German government figures estimate the number of homeless people in the country to total around 860,000 — more than half of whom are refugees. That number is expected to rise a further 40 percent to 1.2 million by 2018.
