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This Philly neighborhood is purportedly the largest open-air narcotics market for heroin on the East Coast with many neighboring residents flocking to the area for heroin and other opioids.4 With such a high number of drugs in Kensington, many state and local officials have zoned in on this area to try and tackle Philadelphias problem. In-depth, original reporting on housing, transportation, and development. More by Max Marin. Kensington has many playgrounds within or adjacent to its boundaries including Nelson Playground, Waterloo Playground, Hissey Playground, McPherson Square Playground, Heitzman Recreation Center, McKinley Playground / McVeigh Recreation Center, Scanlon Playground and Ice Rink, Harrowgate Park Playground, Fairhill Square Park Playground, Eric Casiano Field, Mascher Park / Maguire Playground, Black Coyle and McBride Playground, Pop's Playground, Pop's Skatepark, Hagert Street Playground, Shissler Recreation Center, and Towey Playground. When resources are limited, you get to a point as a police officer where you ask yourself, Why am I doing something ineffective? says former Maryland State Police officer Neill Franklin, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a group of criminal-justice professionals who favor drug-law reform. It is similar to Central Kensington but is slightly quieter and has fewer crimes. Philadelphia officials developed what they call the "encampment resolution" process in 2017 after the city swept a . On Wednesday, Steve, a 30-year-old fentanyl user who declined to give his last name, said he sympathized with the residents plight. Some merchants, like Widdy Darts, a 108-year-old dartboard manufacturer, have been that way for a long time. Of the non-Hispanic or Latino population, 19% is White, 15.1% is Black or African American, 3.6% is Asian, and 2.2% identify as two or more races. To the east of Kensington, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond are each predominantly white neighborhoods. Using proceeds from the sale of the Hope Farm estate (present day Port Richmond), which included three enslaved people named Abraham, Hannibal, and Phillis, Palmer purchased what was called the Fairman Estate, located along the Delaware River in the Northern Liberties Township (area just north of the City of Philadelphia on the . [52], The neighborhood has gained nationwide attention and great notoriety because of extensive press coverage of its thriving narcotics drug scene, often described as the largest on the east coast. On March 21, 2021, SEPTA indefinitely closed the Somerset Station of the Market-Frankford Line (MFL). Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened - YouTube Stories About Kensington - CBS Philadelphia Any given day, a walk down Kensington Avenue yields ample reminders that the neighborhood is the "aortic valve of the region's opioid crisis," as Billy Penn's Max Marin recently put it. City personnel help to clear an encampment on the 3200 block of Kensington Avenue, raze a large-scale encampment known as El Campamento, after SEPTA briefly closed the Somerset El stop. The situation feels like its at a breaking point for some. Frankford Avenue Baptist Church, 2347-49 Frankford Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA (1889). This has made it hard for police to quell the trade. The city has a higher rate of violent crime than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. As of right now, I dont think anyone is confident that theres any sort of larger plan that can account for each person.. If he wants them to get treatment so bad, how about I round up all these junkies in Kensington and put them in his neighborhood?. Well probably have a detail stationed [there], Alexander said. Despite lobbying council members and state representatives, no change has been made. Kim Gary shared a video drive-through of Kensington that will leave you speechless that city Democrats are ignoring the real problems in their city. Or theyre just going to go to the back streets.. Max Winkler is an American director, writer and producer and is also the son of legendary actor Henry Winker. Strong community groups and nonprofits in Kensington have used the neighborhood's empty lots as an opportunity to create community garden spaces. (2021 Crime Rates And Crime Stats), Is Pittsburgh Safe To Visit? Speaking as someone coming from this field, it can be unforgiving and thirsty work, defined by small victories and glorious defeats. SEPTA's MarketFrankford Line runs to Center City from Kensington, offering short commute times. Get your daily rundown of Philly happenings in less than 10 minutes, Philadelphia local news: Neighborhoods, politics, food, and fun, Get Philly smart with BPs free daily newsletter. Since Mayor Jim Kenney took office in 2015, encampment closures in the name of public health and safety have been a near constant in Kensington. Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street (1895). Suffice to say it is not a place to go at night. [8] People suffering from addiction and/or homelessness concentrate around the Somerset and Allegheny train stations, in nearby parks, and on residential streets, angering long-term residents. Gun shots are heard at night. Underpass: Drug Stories from Kensington, Philadelphia - LensCulture From there, drug dens sprung up across the neighborhood and allowed for gangs to breed in the area. What sort of reprieve Wednesdays action will offer neighbors and business owners remains unclear. While Kensington is still the centralized location in Philadelphia for buying and using drugs, some community members, like Bingham, don't believe the neighborhood is the ideal place to get treatment and maintain recovery. The drug market is so strong in Kensington and the joblessness and institutionalized racism so engrained, the community struggles while the state flounders with resolutions. The number of drug overdose deaths in the city increased by 50% from 2013 to 2015, with more than twice as many deaths from drug overdoses as deaths from homicides in 2015.2 A big part of Philadelphias problems stem from the crime rate and drug abuse in Kensington. SEPTA City Bus routes 3 (on Kensington Avenue, running underneath the "El") and 60 on Allegheny Avenue, with route 5 nearby on Frankford Avenue, also serve the K & A area. Heroin isnt sold here muchthat trade is controlled by Latin drug crews in the Badlands. You can do that in Amsterdam, Will Sims says, comparing hard-ass Kensington with what he perceives to be the touchy-feely Netherlands, but this is Philly, and Philly aint Amsterdam.. Johnson knowseven with a colorful awning and bright lightingher cafe might not get a lot of consumer street traffic. According to NeighborhhoodLink, an online source for demographics, geography and economic statistics, the average house value in the 19125 zip code of Kensington is now at $43,500. PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are searching for two suspects who are wanted in connection with a violent carjacking earlier this week. This section of Philadelphia is considered the center of opioid drug use and the city and community are working to bring the crisis under control.Read more ANTHONY PEZZOTTI / Staff Photographer Harrowgate is the furthest north, bordering Juniata and named for Harrowgate Park. Eyes on the Street brings new ideas and fresh voices into the conversation about Philadelphias changing cityscape. WHYY provides trustworthy, fact-based, local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community. neighborhood street scenes in kensington, philadelphia, pa - kensington philadelphia stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images Discarded needles are seen at a heroin encampment in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 7, 2017. Kensington development team seeks middle ground between gentrification and stagnation. At first fentanyl was used as a cutting agent to lets dealers water down their heroin with a cheaper alternative to make more money. Kensington Avenue's ghoulish world of addiction and prostitution exists outside the law. Dealers stand out in the open, hawking their wares. Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit. But despite its joys, a neighborhood called Kensington made a name for itself as home to the nation's highest rates of heroin overdoses. Last year alone, Kensington Avenue was approved for over ten SIP grants to renovate commercial facades, which, when complete, will literally change the face of the corridor. As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. Afaik other neighborhoods declined with crack, but Kensington was notable for pills and opiates. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you . Answer (1 of 3): Kensington is the dark side of Western Industrialized society. The case was dropped in July. Mattresses lie in the mud along the railway where prostitutes trick, and rapes and assaults are common. West Kensington is similar to Norris Square and Fairhill in that it has a similar demographic to most of Kensington while having a more North Central Philadelphia identity,[citation needed] but unlike the other two neighborhoods it remains certainly part of Kensington. Kensington is home to a number of community development corporations working to improve housing conditions and economic activity in the neighborhood: Kensington is represented on the Philadelphia's City Council by Districts 1 and 7. Longtime neighborhood residents, business owners, and some elected officials have been pushing Mayor Kenneys administration to fix the untenable living conditions especially those brought by widespread homelessness. Fentanyl has devastating withdrawal effects, though. Close to the Delaware River where factories have since closed it is called the Walmart of Drugs and it is the world leader in heroin sales and usage. A "person of interest" in the case, Antonio Rodriguez, was arrested in January 2011. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, What happened Today, October, 05, 2021. kimgary 266K subscribers 348K views 1 year ago Most dangerous street in Philadelphia Kensington. City workers arrived in the early hours to clear out two homeless encampments the latest dustup in a years-long saga in Kensington and try to get the roughly 50 people living there into housing or recovery services. Look, he says, junkies got rights, too. Were trying to make sure people are attaching to services rather than moving, Gladstein said. The City of Philadelphia, Police and social services are along Kensington Avenue near Willard Street on Wednesday morning August 18, 2021, clearing the streets of homeless in the center of the opioid epidemic in the city. You can see people with there faces smashed. "Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. https://t.co/6BCbZ2KEZv via @YouTube these people are not crazy this how just living . Using proceeds from the sale of the Hope Farm estate (present day Port Richmond), which included three enslaved people named Abraham, Hannibal, and Phillis,[9] Palmer purchased what was called the Fairman Estate, located along the Delaware River in the Northern Liberties Township (area just north of the City of Philadelphia on the Delaware River). Mainstays such as Martins Deli, Four Sons Pizza, and Bentleys Place operate as they have for decades, plugging along, believing in the strength of their community. Multiple people injured after a messy crash in Kensington - 6abc [4] It was also the birthplace of the K&A Gang, currently known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mob, an Irish American organized crime network. The square is home to the neighborhoods library, many of whose bookkeepers regularly run out with Narcan to help prevent overdoses. This isnt a Kensington problem, he said. Port Richmond has a historically Polish population but is becoming more mixed, and Olde Richmond, an area just north of Fishtown, is experiencing similar gentrification. People are scared to take the train to work. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed in the United States over the last two decades, and Philadelphia is no exception. Two men nodded in a drug-addled stupor on a sidewalk on Kensington Avenue. Who is Henry Winklers Son? McKinney says the city could use regional support in creating a long-term solution for Kensington. Philadelphias District Attorney Seth Williams risked backlash from hardcore law-and-order types when he recently stopped criminally prosecuting minor marijuana offenses. Xany bars are 2mg Xanax pills, the strongest dosage, often used with Suboxone to give users a heroin-like half-consciousness. Kensington is a primarily low income area after the loss of its industries in the 1960s during deindustrialization and the subsequent loss of much of its working class population to the suburbs. They draw a diverse crowd: tight-pantsed hipsters and long-time residents alike enjoy the delicious food in equal measure. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [53][54] The intersection of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street was listed number one in a 2007 list of the city's top ten recreational drug corners according to an article by Philadelphia Weekly reporter Steve Volk. Even Dr. Oz took the time to show us a Kensington Avenue as a "hellscape." For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. Stop talking about Kensington Avenue like it's a wasteland Several men rush to be the first to make a dollar selling her a syringe. He once lived in the infamous Emerald Street encampment in Kensington, and saw how its closure in 2019 just shuffled people to other areas. Looking to be close to Center City by both car and transit, young white collar workers have been moving to cheaper neighborhoods around downtown. He adds that the department does the best it can to guarantee public safety and stop drug use with the resources it has, but that it cant lock up people without good reason. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue the city shut them down one by one, vowing improvement at every step of the way. [36] The closure, which happened without consulting with residents and lacked advanced notice,[37] was ostensibly to repair elevators that had been damaged by human waste and trash and concerns about safety for workers. February 28, 2023 Police seek person who cut Comcast lines on Super Bowl Sunday, causing panic among Eagles fans Approximately 17,000 Xfinity customers in Fishtown and Kensington were affected by . Documentary by SBC News covering Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave.Philadelphia's most dangerous street.Problems with Drugs and Crime in Kensington Ave, PhiladelphiaIn Philadelphia as a whole, violent crime and drug abuse are major issues. In addition to having a high rate of drug overdose deaths, 80% of Philadelphia's overdose deaths involved opioids, and Kensington is a significant contributor to this figure. Philadelphia's most dangerous street.Problems with Drugs and Crime in Kensington Ave, PhiladelphiaIn Philadelphia as a whole, violent crime and drug abuse are major issues. It is my sincere hope and belief that Kensington is arming itself against the forces of apathetic, tone-deaf gentrification. Thats anywhere from three to six times the mere 100 emergency shelter beds that were available in June, WHYY News reported. At 4 p.m. on January 15, police found Jevon Gillette, 47, with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and thigh. Progress, even the slightest measures, can have enormous impact. Also alarming is Philadelphia's drug overdose rate. Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible tent cities that grew along a series of underpasses. This is not a one and done, and well keep doing the work.. City Managing Director Tumar Alexander, who oversees the police response in Kensington, said there will be a zero tolerance policy for new encampments on the two targeted blocks. Soon, it too will house a commercial tenant and NKCDCs new offices. Shes comparatively clean cut, probably from the suburbs or middle-class Northeast Philadelphia, whose residents with a taste for heroin are drawn to Kensington for its freewheeling addiction-bazaar atmosphere. You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. Many of these residents dont have homes. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened.. | Kensington, colloquially known locally as Kenzo, is a neighborhood in Philadelphia that belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia. The Tracks, a mile-long wooded stretch of shipping railway cutting across the Badlands, is a section of Philadelphia long ago ceded by law enforcement to drug users. The panel was developed in part by Tony Heriza, a documentary filmmaker working on a film about the Storefront, an art and community services hub set up in Kensington by Mural Arts Philadelphia. [39], The proposal to open a supervised injection site in Kensington has faced backlash from residents, despite the area's prevalent public drug use. You have to bring services to addicts, offer them treatment. Just a few blocks away, the Kensington Storefront, a collaboration between Impact Services, NKCDC, Mural Arts, Prevention Point Philadelphia and The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS), transformed an abandoned Cricket Wireless Store into a hub for arts-based community events, trainings, and meetings. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. Heriza became interested in Kensington after seeing a 2018 article in the New York Times magazine about the drug epidemic in the neighborhood. But a day later, and not far away, on the 1700 block of West Atlantic Street in North Philly, there was bloodshed and death. A recent piece chronicles the authors adventures day drinking in forgotten Philadelphia. Parts of it were once called the 'Badlands' and it is hell on earth. Parks in and adjacent to the neighborhood include Harrowgate Park, McPherson Square, Hope Park, Fairhill Square Park, Norris Square Park, Mascher Park, Frankford Avenue Garden, Arcadia Commons, Trenton and Auburn Park, Letterly Green, Emerald Park, Konrad Square, and Palmer Park. Soon, thanks to this effort and efforts like it, they wont have to. With such a high concentration of drugs in Kensington, many state and local officials have focused on the neighborhood in an attempt to address Philadelphia's problem.#SBCNews A loan from a Community Development Financing Institution (CDFI) or a Storefront Improvement (SIP) or In-Store grant from the Department of Commerce carries the capacity to transform a block and breathe life into a business. Kensington was the birthplace of the K&A Gang, an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s. [Meta] Sticky Comment. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. Users flock to the scene. The part of Kensington below Lehigh Street, or as it has been rebranded[citation needed] "Lower Kensington" or "East Kensington", is the part of Kensington most clearly experiencing gentrification. McPherson Square, the park at the heart of the neighborhood, is home to at least 80 to 100 people every night, said Bill McKinney, executive director of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation who lives nearby. Eva Gladstein, Philadelphias deputy managing director for Health and Human Services, said outreach teams have helped more than 20 people connect with social services during the last month of engagement at the two targeted camps, plus an additional four people on Wednesday morning. On January 4, 2016, Jim Kenney was sworn in as the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia. They paint a picture of a poverty zoo. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. In his first budget, the Mayor worked closely with City Council to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives. Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and stay in the know. The number of drug overdose . The conflict between clean residents and dealers can escalate, sometimes so high that a person once threw a Molotov cocktail through a residents window. In Philly, Will More Police Officers Reduce Gun Violence? There are real, endemic issues at play on the Avenue. They eventually set up a new encampment under another railway bridge nearby. NKCDC is working on the redevelopment of the Orinoka Civic House. With such a high concentration of drugs in Kensington, many state and local officials have focused on the neighborhood in an attempt to address Philadelphia's problem. Subscribe to SBC News: https://www.youtube.com/c/SBCNewsYouTube?sub_confirmation=1#SBCNews Addicts can be found in the woods along the Tracks openly cooking and shooting drugs in broad daylight, a daily occurrence that indicates this is territory clearly forsaken by the law. Evers confirms that there were coordinated efforts to empty Kensingtons shooting galleries during the stranglers killing spree, and he says this brought crime rates in the neighborhood way down. It doesnt work the first or the second or the third or the fourth time for everybody, so we keep engaging for those that we can.. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans, mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, and African Americans. But users who buy in the Badlands come to Kensington to shoot up. Re: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Building a Philadelphia that works for every neighborhood with a focus on equity, opportunity, efficiency, and inclusion. This Philly neighborhood is purportedly the largest open-air narcotics market for heroin on the East Coast with many neighboring residents flocking to the area for heroin and other opioids.4 With such a high number of drugs in Kensington, many state and local officials have zoned in on this area to try and tackle Philadelphias problem. It happened Monday around 10:40 p.m. on the. [38] However, the decision to close the station "indefinitely" led hundreds of Kensington residents to march from Somerset Station to Allegheny Station in protest, recreating the longer trip many of them had to take to access the MFL since the closure. He also sold to recent German fishermen immigrants. Impact Services and NKCDC collaborate with the shared goal to better the avenue that cuts through multiple neighborhoods. Those who do not frequent it rely on the medias interpretation and are primarily getting this message: Kensington Avenue is a barren wasteland where no happiness can find purchase. Groups of Irish Americans, Polish Americans, and Asian Americans also make up the neighborhood. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened.. 14 19 . 4 2023 , ! During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. The median yearly income of the neighborhood is $28,368, ranging from $18,516 to $77,979. [15][16][17], Listed on the National Register of Historic Places:[18], Kensington has a population of approximately 42,000 people according to data from ASC 2020 survey. Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. Subs are Suboxone, a pill containing buprenophine, a drug that eases the pain of heroin withdrawal. (Crime Rates And Crime Stats), Top 10 Things To Do In Harleysville, PA In 2022, Top 11 Things To Do In McDonald, PA In 2022. link to Who is Henry Winklers Son? However, the drug market remained decentralized, running through small groups of dealers that were harder to prosecute than, say, a crime syndicate.
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