Like a wound that won't close… Six years after the collapses of 63, 65 and 67 rue d'Aubagne, the residents have not forgotten ” that day ». « It was at 9 a.m., I was right in front, we saw a big cloud of yellow dust » remembers Naamar who holds “ for years », the food store right next to the Place du 5 Novembre. A cry, “ then nothing more » he continues, “ pendant two weeks the whole neighborhood was closed off, people are traumatized ».
From, ” I think about it sometimes, they were all clients of mine » he smiled sadly. He remembers Julien’s last purchases, the day before the tragedy: “ He had bought chips, rosé, his mother came to see him, and then there it was, miskine. He wouldn't have had time. » And Simona, « a pack of eggs and mushrooms, an omelette ? I told him while laughing… » Then full of bitterness, “ these people left for nothing “. He, who lived in one of these buildings until 2016, remembers the state of disrepair well. In 2019, he was evicted from 53 where he had moved, following a danger. Lugging from hotel to hotel for two years, while his owner did the work on the building, he barely fit into… a temporary apartment.
A little further away, at PMU, Tata, one of the neighborhood's leading figures, has also not forgotten anything about ” these young people » who helped him organize the races. With large cane reels, she said to herself “ angry at these landlords who only think about collecting the rent “, also says the rats, the windows that don't close ” today at my house ».
Further down, at 52, at Saloum couture, we haven't really gotten over it either. “ When we arrived to open the store, there were barriers everywhere, we didn't work, it was too sad » recalls the boss's son, not exactly serene. “ We say to ourselves that it could happen again » he worries.
« It's very simple for me, every time it rains I'm afraid and so is my daughter. “, testifies Nora, the baker who runs the Aubagne bakery, at 37. ” I live a little further up, I pass there every morning. The 5 November, it's my father's birthday, I took shelter under the bridge to make a call to him, that's what saved me. » Her sister, Soraya, who runs a hairdressing salon in the street with her husband confides that from time to time she stops in front of the “hollow tooth” but “ not like these tourists who arrive in groups with a guide to take photos, that’s macabre » she is indignant. In a twist of fate, she adds that she lives on rue Jaubert (5e), and thought he was reliving the worst when the neighboring building on rue Tivoli was blown up by an explosion.
Civil parties or not, all will go to trial, some also went to the Sunday demonstration organized by the November 5 collective. By following two of its members, Fabrice and Stéphane, rue Pollack in a distribution of flyers, we realize that the trauma remains strong throughout the neighborhood. Shared student who arrives, young owner or occupants of a tiny maid's room, they bear witness, beyond the drama anchored in their memory, to a strong feeling of injustice. “ Everyone has turned their gaze, now things have to change » asserts Charles, himself living in a building in danger…
