10/15/2015

The Epplehouse Tübingen


A German boy has become a time-historical figure.
By complete accident. 

Richard Epple, born on the 2nd of August 1954, died on the 1st of March 1972, shot by a policeman. 
At that time fear and hysteria ruled on all sides. 
The Baader-Meinhof-Gang bombed and shot itself through the country, their victims being  exclusively police officers. 
The state went over to hunting the terrorists with a gigantic contingent in security forces.
„Who shoots first, survives“, a detective superintendent described the mood inside the police department at the time. 
17-year-old Richard Epple simply made one silly mistake - driving his car drunk and without driving licence.
His case hit headlines.
Epple drove his car, then was controlled by a police officer.
He fled, and during the car chase, the police officer received permission to shoot, and so he killed Richard Epple.
The same week, the youthclub in Tübingen was captured by people who protest against the power of police and their capriciousness.
After that the House was called (Richard-) Epple-House. 

On Richard Epple's thirtieth day of death, his older brother Erich Epple was asked for a conversation about the events from back then:
„Do you know what happened to the policeman who shot your brother that day?" 

He didn’t. 
The young police officer, married, father of a family, committed suicide after a few years as he was unable to live with what had happened.
„This is dreadful,“ Erich meant. He wouldn’t say anything else.
The Epplehouse is like a memorial place for Richard. 

Today it’s a youthclub for everybody, where kids can get help to prevent themselves from going the wrong way and end up like Richard Epple. Dead. The Epplehaus is completely painted in streetart. 

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