Parvis de l’appel du 1er février 1954

This square is named after one of the most significant moments in French humanitarian history. On the first of February 1954, the priest Abbé Pierre broadcast an emotional plea for help on the radio, famously beginning with the words, Mes amis, au secours, or My friends, help me. He was spurred to action by the deaths of homeless people freezing on the streets of Paris during an exceptionally brutal winter, including a woman found dead clutching the very eviction notice that had forced her into the cold. The appeal triggered a massive national response known as the insurrection of kindness. Before the broadcast, Abbé Pierre had already been active in this specific area, working with local parishioners in Courbevoie who had raised money to form an emergency aid committee for the homeless. He even spent that cold night sheltering at the home of a local journalist who helped him prepare his message. This location serves as a reminder of that spontaneous local movement, which quickly grew into a nationwide effort that successfully forced the French government to launch emergency housing programs and eventually established the legal winter truce that still prevents tenant evictions during the coldest months of the year.