A pestilential odor seizes the nostrils when one approaches La table de Jérôme. Stuck on an urban island, in the middle of an abandoned wasteland between the four lanes of the southern boulevards, the old restaurant has lost its charm of yesteryear. Tables and chairs have been replaced with piles of trash. The kitchens by a gloomy dormitory.
After several years of providing service, the restaurant went bankrupt three years ago. The curtain comes down and, a few weeks later, the place is transformed into a squat. A difficult situation for the owner of an adjoining building. “It’s disgusting. There are rats hanging around everywhere. They make fires and it blackens the walls. It’s dangerous and I’m worried about the safety of the place,” he says. Exhausted, he decided to call the JIR to denounce the situation.
A dump
On site, access to the squat is not difficult. A large window has been broken and offers a dream entrance for anyone curious. Inside, a myriad of belongings are thrown on the floor, so much so that it is difficult to differentiate each element. Garbage swarms in every corner of the room. Beer cans, leftover food, household appliances, the building has become a veritable dump where the nauseating air circulates little. Breathing is a test.
It’s hard to imagine someone living in these conditions. However, at the bottom of the old restaurant, hidden in a dark room where no light beam penetrates, noise testifies to the presence of a person. Seconds later, a man comes out of the darkness. He doesn’t seem surprised by our presence and sits down at a small table in the center of the squat, overlooked by…