A group of Anderlecht residents living in Cureghem are pleading for help amid increasing drug violence and organised crime afflicting their neighbourhood.
Following the publication of an interview with the mayor of Anderlecht Fabrice Cumps (PS) in which he mainly spoke of what he cannot do to combat the issues in his municipality, The Brussels Times' editor-in-chief Philip Herd wrote an editorial questioning the mayor's apparent lack of ambition to create change.
In response to the articles, 'Respect Cureghem', a group of Anderlecht residents living in the neighbourhood most affected by the drug-related shootings, has published an open letter on The Brussels Times' website. You can read the letter below in full.
In 2025, police in Brussels recorded 96 shootings in the capital, resulting in eight fatalities. This is a record number of shootings. Most of the incidents were linked to drug-related violence.
Open letter
We, inhabitants and members of Respect Cureghem, deeply believe in Cureghem and in the strength of its people. That is why we remain fully committed to its future.
We want to offer constructive ideas for improvement – not because we are turning away from our neighbourhood, but because we want it to finally receive what elsewhere is considered basic:
- A public authority that truly fights street-level drug trafficking
- Protection against armed violence
- Investment in clean and quality public spaces, as is done elsewhere
In Anderlecht, out of 126,000 inhabitants, 25,000 live in Cureghem – one in five – yet none of the ten municipal councillors reside here. This speaks volumes about the institutional neglect our area faces. This abandonment harms not only Brussels but all of Belgium.
Drug-related activities thrive, the problem spreads to neighbouring districts, and negative media coverage discourages investment across Brussels. Meanwhile, the Midi Station should be driving economic growth for the capital and the country.
Shootings show the shift from spontaneous delinquency to organised crime. It is time for goodwill to be organised democratically and intelligently to meet this challenge and unlock the full potential of this neighbourhood and the Brussels Region – shamefully, after more than 580 days without a stable government.
We understand the complexity of these issues, but after years of sounding the alarm, enforcement of existing laws and maintenance of public space remain shockingly inadequate. The feeling of impunity is high, and that must change.
Finally, we respond to the metaphor of the "leaking bottle". Putting bandages on a leaking bottle will never solve the problem. The bottle needs to be repaired, not patched up. That requires a clear vision, transparent communication, and real leadership – moral as well as managerial – to ensure fair sharing of responsibilities across communes and accountability from all actors.
Without this, we remain trapped in permanent crisis management instead of building a sustainable future for Cureghem and Anderlecht.
Political responsibility means acting.
Mayor reaction
The Brussels Times contacted Cumps for a reaction to the open letter.
"Yes, 'plugging the leaks' [of the bottle] is equivalent to repairing the bottle," Cumps said. "My response was in reaction to a comment that said it might be better to change the bottle, which is society as a whole."
"I humbly suggest that if we believe that a mayor alone can change society, it may be a little unrealistic," Cumps said. "So I work every day to limit the impact on citizens. This does not mean, of course, that I am not contributing to the collective effort to achieve a better world."
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- 20 shootings this summer: 'Everyone in Brussels is at risk'
- 'We thought rock bottom had been reached' – Cureghem residents cry for help
- Anderlecht is not abandoning Cureghem, Mayor Cumps says
