Commissioner [Charles] Ramsey does not support it; no one in this department does. You have to bring services to addicts, offer them treatment. This is probably one of the most drug infested streets in Philadelphia. Every day Jorge Rosario, 52, a resident of the Kensington section Philadelphia cleans the sidewalk along the 2700 block of Kensington Ave., Philadelphia. 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. Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The super brief history is Kensington was a thriving industrial area of factory workers until deindustrialization happened which left the neighborhood impoverished and jobless. McKinney says the city could use regional support in creating a long-term solution for Kensington. Just before 5 p.m. the following day, in the 2100 block of North 20th Street, police found Dawson Johnson . Its so well known that a simple Google search for really bad drug areas brings it up. 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. But arresting heroin addicts? PHILADELPHIA - Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Ricardo Carrion, a.k.a. Overnight, people are getting stabbed. [32], Kensington's high percentage of low income renters puts its residents at risk of displacement from gentrification. More simply, some define Kensington as the triangular area bounded by Erie Avenue to the north, Front Street (and sometimes Fifth Street) to the West, and Trenton Avenue to the East. In-depth, original reporting on housing, transportation, and development. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue the city shut them down one by one, vowing improvement at every step of the way. Everything You Wanted To Know About Los Angeles Skid Row, Everything You Wanted To Know About Los Angeles' Skid Row, Is Philadelphia Safe To Visit? 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. Soon, it too will house a commercial tenant and NKCDCs new offices. [35][citation needed]. WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyones stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. My name is Mariska and I'm living my best life while living the van life. Public schools in Kensington include Kensington High School Complex, Jules E. Mastbaum Vocational Technical High School, Russell Conwell Middle Magnet School and John H. Webster Elementary School. It is known for pawn shops and check-cashing joints. 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. Crack houses and shooting galleries were raided because women could easily get raped and killed there. The influx of immigrants and low-income households many of whom were unaware of the drug situation, or were forced to ignore it due to the stark affordability has made little difference in gentrifying the area. [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. Each program mixes interviews with guest travel experts, your call-ins with questions and comments, and music. If BP helped inform you, join as a member today! The number of drug overdose deaths in the city . Community garden spaces in and around the neighborhood include Kensington Corridor Trust Community Garden, NKCDC Garden, Las Parcelas - Norris Square, El Batey - Norris Square, Collins Smith Barrick Play Garden, Emerald Street Community Farm, Rainbow Park, House of Grace Community Garden, Port Kensington, Hart Lane Farm, Circle of Hope / Frankford Ave Garden. Close to the I-95, and a stones throw away from the scenic Delaware river, Kensington is a neighborhood in northern Philly with quite the reputation. Kensington, as most long-term residents view it, refers generally to the area consisting of Kensington, East, or Lower Kensington, West Kensington, and Harrowgate. Significant rent increases are commonly triggered by increasing property values and a new wealthier demographic that can afford to pay higher rents. From there, drug dens sprung up across the neighborhood and allowed for gangs to breed in the area. The Columbia Works, 155-59 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA. They're visible within seconds of exiting the subway: injections in broad daylight, tent encampments, legions of trash and squalor. [10], By the mid-19th century, Kensington became one of the leading centers of the textile industry, particularly in carpet. Like many corridors, there are destination spots for Philly foodies. Addicts say. Kensington was originally a blue collar neighborhood that thrived on the factories built there. In recent years, Kensington has experienced increasing social issues primarily related to drug abuse. Help in Kensington - State of Emergency Though Kensington addicts seem to think so, the police department pushed back forcefully against this notion. Many now-users originally sought out street drugs due to injuries or post-surgery pains and couldnt afford the legal medicines to soothe their pain. Heroin isnt sold here muchthat trade is controlled by Latin drug crews in the Badlands. In the absence of a larger plan, he was certain those encampments would grow in the coming weeks. A former bank will become a commercial kitchen and event space. As for other encampments nearby, he said the city will need to post additional notice before staging more evictions. Stop talking about Kensington Avenue like it's a wasteland Kensington is not happy about being photographed - WHYY Kensington Independent Civic Association), This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 14:40. The whole city, its always a battle for space, and any open space is going to get filled., Love Philly? Today, the neighborhood is full of decrepit two-story rowhouses and many abandoned commercial spaces: defunct factories and vacant lots. McPherson Square is the heart of Kensington. Drug dealers at the corners. People are scared to take the train to work. Almost half of the neighborhoods residents live below the poverty line. A Google search for " Kensington Avenue Philadelphia " yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time and are disputed among locals. As momentum grows, more and more entrepreneurs are looking at Kensington Avenue as a viable corridor for their businesses. This should not be ignored, and is, in fact, impossible to avoid. Anything else is tantamount to poverty porn and disrespectful to the people who dedicate their lives to making Kensington Avenue a better place. 2 Kensington's high crime rate and drug abuse contribute significantly to Philadelphia's problems.Because of the high number of drugs in the neighborhood, Kensington has the third-highest drug crime rate by neighborhood in Philadelphia, at 3.57. note Whos got works? she calls out to nobody in particular. Neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States, primarily white young urban professionals, H.W. It is my sincere hope and belief that Kensington is arming itself against the forces of apathetic, tone-deaf gentrification. Words such hopeless and dystopian punctuate an endless scrawl of depressing articles. [5] The current greater Kensington area roughly coincides with the former Kensington District, Richmond District, Aramingo Borough, and Northern Liberties Township. But the Tracks, like Kensington Avenue, resemble a libertarian utopia gone wrong. Along with having a high rate of drug overdose deaths, 80% percent of Philadelphias overdose deaths involved opioids2 and Kensington is a big contributor to this number. The Walmart of Heroin: Update on Drugs in Kensington Local news should be free and accessible, which is why we ask readers like you to support our work rather than charging a fee to see it. Answer (1 of 3): Kensington is the dark side of Western Industrialized society. Despite lobbying council members and state representatives, no change has been made. 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. Addicts say the police came down hard on indoor drug establishments. Most encampment residents had moved out from the former site before Wednesday morning. 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. Even more concerning are the fetishizations of the corridor, which go something like this: Yes its bad, but it can be fun to visit because its bad. The citys violent crime rate is higher than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas.1 Also alarming is Philadelphias drug overdose rate. But we cant do this until the federal government changes its stance on prohibition., Lt. Ray Evers has a harsh retort for Franklin and his reform-minded law-enforcement ilk. The citys violent crime rate is higher than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas.1 Also alarming is Philadelphias drug overdose rate. Underpass: Drug Stories from Kensington, Philadelphia - LensCulture ', "Kensington residents ask: 'Why would you think this is acceptable for us? Even the pandemic doesn't slow down Philadelphia's drug markets Commercial revitalization in the form of businesses a community has use for is a powerful weapon. When officials shut down the four bridge encampments between 2018 and 2019, Gladstein said 65% of people went into housing, and of those, more than half remain in housing today. During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. The adjacent Fairhill and Norris Square neighborhoods are more separate but may be included in Kensington; Fishtown and South (Olde) Kensington were previously included but have developed new identities with gentrification. Some merchants, like Widdy Darts, a 108-year-old dartboard manufacturer, have been that way for a long time. Ironically, even some addicts on Kensington Avenue dont believe in legalization. Construction is slated to start this week on Arguto Court, an adaptive reuse project featuring office space and a cafe. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York, carrying banners demanding, "We want to go to School and not the mines!
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