As Lebanon unravels, Beirut neighborhood takes security into its own hands

Amid Beirut’s unlit streets, men wield torches and batons to ensure security and safety in the neighborhood in an initiative that began in Achrafieh, one of Beirut’s oldest and most charming districts.
This picture taken on March 21, 2020, shows an aerial view of the Ashrafieh district of Lebanon's capital, Beirut.
This picture taken on March 21, 2020, shows an aerial view of the Ashrafieh district of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, as streets empty to minimize social contact as part of efforts against COVID-19. - AFP via Getty Images
Rodayna Raydan
Rodayna Raydan
@Rodayna_462

BEIRUT — Lebanon's ongoing economic, political and social demise has paralyed much of the state infrastructure and has brought poverty levels to numbers unseen since the country's 1975-90 civil war.

The decline is forcing residents to take security into their own hands, with neighborhood groups emerging to fill in where state security has lapsed.

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