Money-lending gangs and drug problems in Czech Romany ghetto Předlice - text 4

Money-lending gangs and drug problems in Czech Romany ghetto Předlice

A “The number of heroin-addicted in Ústí nad Labem grows. The amount of Drug-out centre clients using heroin has tripled in the last half-year. The count of narcomaniacs in the centre of Ústí nad Labem is estimated up to 4000 persons,” announced Radka Koblížková, the head of contact centre Drug-out club.

B The most problematic parts are still the socially excluded localities. “We have realised the problems in the existing localities is much worse than we have estimated,” Koblížková describes. Mainly Předlice, Krásné Březno, Mojžíř and Trmice are affected in Ústí nad Labem.

C “Crime, drugs, excessive money-lending and gambling, these are the evils plaguing the neighbourhoods inhabited by Czech Romanies”, Marek Podlaha, head of the Agency for Social Integration of Romany Localities explains. “The situation in the socially excluded localities is constantly worsening and a peculiar system with its own rules independent from the outside world is often created there,” Podlaha said about the neighbourhoods inhabited by some 80,000 people, mostly Romanies. “Předlice, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the north Bohemian town of Ústí nad Labem, is a case in point. Any person coming there is immediately noticed and closely watched as are the people who meet them. As a result, locals prefer to avoid any contact with visitors as they are afraid,” he added.

D Unemployment in Předlice reaches the astonishing 90 percent, while almost everyone is involved in illegal work there. Locals are plagued by money-lenders who have forced them to sign extremely disadvantageous loans at exorbitant interest rates. Nine years ago, Romany clans from Moravia moved in. Their members got rich through prostitution, drug dealing and money-lending. They started buying property in Předlice. They have introduced exorbitant rents the residents are unable to pay. Hence their resort to usury, the daily describes the vicious circle.

E “In Předlice, a community centre Drug-out club has been established in which the agency works along with the local authorities, local NGOs, a sanitary official, a social worker, a doctor and the police,” Podlaha said. “I believe that if we are in day-to-day contact with locals, we will gain their trust and they themselves will seek our help,” he added. “This could worsen the position of the mafia ruling here,” Podlaha said. “Above all, there is some first-hand information for us. Rapid improvement can be expected in some simple problems such as sanitation, perhaps within one or two years,” he added.

exorbitant – přemrštěný

plaguing – zamořující

peculiar – svébytný, osobitý

property – majetek

usury – lichva

vicious circle – bludný kruh

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Předlice has its own rules

2 Establishing Drug-out club

3 The number of heroin-addicted grows

4 Vicious circle in Předlice

5 Socially excluded localities are problematic

2) Read the article again and answer the questions.

1 What is the text about?

2 What are problematic parts of Ústí nad Labem? What are their problems?

3 How many people are heroin addicted in Ústí nad Labem?

4 How can Drug-out centre help them?

5 What do we know about mafia in Předlice?

3) Explain the following words.

1 narcomaniac

2 socially excluded locality

3 gambling

4 outskirt

5 unemployment

What does the life at outskirts look like? Is there any similar place in Jihlava? What are its problems? Who helps the people there?

Adjusted to:

http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_823

http://www.drugout.cz/