When Fear Becomes a Neighbor: Valence Grapples with Violence

On the banks of the Rhône, summer appears to be following its usual course. Cafés are filling up, people sit in the squares with a coffee, children play in the parks. But in some neighborhoods of Valence a shadow has fallen over everyday life. Behind closed windows neighbors speak more quietly than before, parents check the time more often when their children are out. Violence has arrived - and it is changing a city that for a long time was not regarded as a hotspot of organized crime. Since March ...