Kensington, as most long-term residents view it, refers generally to the area consisting of Kensington, East, or Lower Kensington, West Kensington, and Harrowgate. Some people cleared from the street sought out permanent housing or treatment, he said but most of the population wouldnt leave an area where they had easy access to drugs. Gun shots are heard at night. 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.. There is also a charter school, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. Man stabbed to death in Kensington, attacker seen running away Police: Man dead after shooting in Kensington 2 people shot in separate incidents in Philadelphia overnight Police seek suspects. Its how we live. Progress, even the slightest measures, can have enormous impact. However, sensationalizing poverty, fetishizing small businesses, and minimizing the collective efforts of a community on the rise are the cheap tactics of bad journalists. To the east of Kensington, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond are each predominantly white neighborhoods. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue . McNeil Laboratories began with the purchase of a pharmacy in the area in 1879 by the company's namesake. It is known for pawn shops and check-cashing joints. Fairhill and Norris Square are separate from Kensington with a more central North Philadelphia identity; however, exactly where the neighborhoods separate is subject to much debate and there are people within both neighborhoods who identify with Kensington. 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. McPherson Square is the heart of Kensington. These boundaries have since shifted so that a large area north of Lehigh Avenue is now considered part of Kensington, while Fishtown is no longer considered part of the neighborhood. 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. Some merchants, like Widdy Darts, a 108-year-old dartboard manufacturer, have been that way for a long time. Some residents of Kensington wont go out without driving, not wanting to walk through the neighborhood despite living there. They tried to institute safe-injection sites, where users can shoot up without fear of prosecution. Or theyre just going to go to the back streets.. Im out here too, and I think its fucking insanity. Palmer was an English merchant who came to Philadelphia by 1704 from Barbados. Most dangerous street in PhiladelphiaKensington Philadelphia Drug \u0026 Crime ProblemsViolent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. 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.. 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. 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. Ironically, even some addicts on Kensington Avenue dont believe in legalization. Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. The avenue runs on a north/south slant and unofficially includes the neighborhoods of Kensington, East and West Kensington, Fairhill, Port Richmond, and Olde Richmond. Between the two encampments targeted on Wednesday, half a dozen other spots continue to grow. At 3525 Kensington Avenue, right in the middle of the block, Sherimane Johnson will open Naturally Sweet Desserts, a vegan cafe and bakery that will deliver all over the city and be open all day for local residents. The government has shown attempts at trying. But about 15 people remained around 8 a.m., many shielding their faces from news cameras as outreach workers helped them fill plastic bins with their belongings. ', "Kensington residents ask: 'Why would you think this is acceptable for us? Now home to fifty-one residents, this former source of blight is transformed to a beacon of hope. Eight months ago, the Kensington Strangler was stalking and murdering addicted prostitutes who worked the Avenue. You have to do [legalization] right if youre going to do it, otherwise you create more problems, says Franklin of LEAP. Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. Kensington and Cambria. [7] Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. Is the city now looking the other way when it comes to heroin users? This area is the aortic valve of the regions opioid crisis, where an estimated billion dollar drug trade draws thousands from all over the region into the post-industrial neighborhood. The white residents fled to the suburbs and people of color and limited means moved in. In 2017 developers Shift Capital, in partnership with NKCDC, IMPACT Services Corporation, and the Philadelphia Department of Commerce launched the innovative Kensington Avenue Storefront Challenge. Probably for. Its the hottest night of the summer, and on Philadelphias Kensington Avenue, underneath the elevated train tracks at Somerset Street, mills a crowd of addicts nearly 100 strong, the biggest ever to flock to this well-known drug corner. 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. Adjacent neighborhoods are Northern Liberties (ZIP code 19123), Fishtown and Olde Richmond (ZIP code 19125), Port Richmond (ZIP code 19134). link to Whatever Happened To Natalie Raitano. The majority of the neighborhood is renter occupied, 55.6% overall, and up to 66.3% in one tract. 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. 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. The New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street (1895). During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. Its so well known that a simple Google search for really bad drug areas brings it up. "You can't buy, use, and recover in the same neighborhood," Bingham said. A recent piece chronicles the authors adventures day drinking in forgotten Philadelphia. Kensington Ave - Everything You Want To Know About Philadelphia's Skid Row Written by Mariska Lee in Pennsylvania Close to the I-95, and a stone's throw away from the scenic Delaware river, Kensington is a neighborhood in northern Philly with quite the reputation. From there, drug dens sprung up across the neighborhood and allowed for gangs to breed in the area. 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 opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. Estimates vary between 300 and 650 people living on the street. 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. Central Kensington, or "the Heart of Kensington" as it is called in a recent Impact Services neighborhood plan,[6] stretches along Kensington Avenue from Tusculum and Somerset Streets to Tioga Street (see Impact Services plan[6] for a more accurate map). Even Dr. Oz took the time to show us a Kensington Avenue as a hellscape. These articles tell an intentional narrative, one which has no room for hope. McKinney, of the New Kensington CDC, said the successful rehousing services touted by officials during these clearouts 10 people here, 20 people there are modest in the scope of the crisis. Its mid-century decline due to deindustrialization paralyzed Kensington. It was a scene that rivaled the aftermath of a storm, its victims caught up in forces that leave many hungry, homeless and hopeless. Crack, meth, heroin, oxycodone, weed, percocet, PCP these are all the usual suspects around Kensington Ave. Johnson knowseven with a colorful awning and bright lightingher cafe might not get a lot of consumer street traffic. It happened Monday around 10:40 p.m. on the. Juniata, the neighborhood to the north, and Kensington are similar demographically, yet the former is slightly wealthier and has more green space. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. Dealers stand out in the open, hawking their wares. [55] It is also known as an area of prostitution. Between 2013 and 2015, the number of drug overdose deaths in the city increased by 50%, with more than twice as many deaths from overdoses as homicides. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. In the early 19th century, Kensington transitioned to iron and steel manufacturing[11] and became home to a variety of factories, potteries, and machine works. On the night we visited, police cars cruised past, their lights flashing, but never stopped. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, (Short Clip #53) Monday, Sept 6, 2021. It is part of the River Wards section of the city, a group of neighborhoods close to the Delaware River in North Philadelphia. Stop writing about Kensington Avenue like its Mordor. [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. But this is an ongoing process. Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. However, the drug market remained decentralized, running through small groups of dealers that were harder to prosecute than, say, a crime syndicate. Arrest made after deadly crash in Kensington, Philadelphia police say The incident happened at the intersection of G and Tioga Streets around 4:40 p.m. Nov 13, 2022 00:17 Arrest made after. City housing officials say 300; police estimated over 650 people this summer. 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 help is there, but its not enough. 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. There are real, endemic issues at play on the Avenue. 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 . 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. Google Maps borders for Kensington show it including much of what is considered Fishtown and excludes West Kensington. Kensington has always been a rough area since before the 70s. This energy is not relegated to existing businesses. She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since. Worse, still, are the articles characterizing this commercial corridor as an adventurous destination for the open-minded shopper. The drug is even cheaper to produce and procure than fentanyl and is more dangerous in the sense that Narcan is not effective against overdoses. The storefront challenge is a proactive answer to the inequity created by corridor vacancy. The few other businesses Chinese take outs and Irish pubs have missing persons signs hung in the windows. 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 since Januarywhen 22-year-old Antonio Rodriguez, a PCP-smoking petty drug dealer from the notorious adjoining Badlands neighborhood, was arrested and charged with the murdersaddicts say that police have retreated, leaving them to do their drugs in relative peace. At A and Indiana, an anxious crowd gathered, their eyes filled with the weary desperation that is so emblematic of addiction. [58], In 2022, multiple gunmen fired approximately 40 rounds into a crowd from a black vehicle near Kensington Avenue and East Allegheny hitting nine people. Agraduate of Temple University, he has produced award-winning journalism on local politics, criminal justice, immigration Two emergency shelters closed along Kensington Avenue within the last year. August 18, 2021 / 5:22 PM / CBS Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- City officials broke up a homeless encampment in Kensington Wednesday afternoon, with outreach teams tearing down the. The right to shop locally in your community is enjoyed by most Philadelphia residents, and Kensingtonians are taking their corridor back. [5] The current greater Kensington area roughly coincides with the former Kensington District, Richmond District, Aramingo Borough, and Northern Liberties Township. Kensington has become a welter of crisscrossing needs and opinions, a civic puzzle no one's been able to solve. The problem is, no one seems to want to write about the good. [32][failed verification] The majority of its population is Hispanic or Latino (59.9%), consisting primarily of Puerto Rican and Dominican Americans. All About Max Winkler. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, Here's What Happened Today, Tuesday, Sept 7, 20 . The eyes of one woman in her 20s filled as she sobbed in the arms of a familiar woman, Marti Hottenstein, who pledged to get her off . More by Max Marin. As it is just north of Fishtown, higher income residents have been moving further up, increasing property values and rents. However, heroin and fentanyl is without a doubt the most popular drugs. [57] Rodriguez confessed to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison in 2012. Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and stay in the know. During our visit, addicts casually moved in and out, bringing and injecting their Badlands-bought heroin. Afterward, the city repaired a single section of iron fencing in a feeble attempt to seal the area, but enclosing structures at multiple other access points had collapsed. The Decorating Plant of Gillinder & Sons' Franklin Flint Glass Works, 1700-06 N. Howard Street (1876). Ever since the strangler, addict Will Sims says, we do everything out in the open and the cops are cool with it. Several other addicts out here concur: The reason for all the bustle is that Kensington Avenue has become a drug-bust-free zone. I cant just arrest someone for hanging out on a stoop looking like theyre high on drugs., Even if Philadelphia hasnt officially decriminalized drug use in Kensington, the citys addicts are well aware that this is a place where they can get high without police harassment. 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? This should not be ignored, and is, in fact, impossible to avoid. would never let this happen in whiter, more affluent parts, New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), Phillys hot podcast studio: How two longtime producers are growing the citys audio scene, Tax cuts, a new forensic lab, library service, hotspot help: Takeaways from Mayor Kenneys final city budget proposal, Meet the 10 entrepreneurs vying set up shop inside Philly rec centers, A real art project at Quinta Brunsons former school in West Philly mirrors the Abbott Elementary Mural Arts episode, Former Councilmember Bobby Henon sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for taking bribes, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. During my career I concluded we werent making a dent in drug addiction or related crime. [33] Such a phenomenon is happening across Kensington, causing long-term residents to be priced out. Clifton Mills, 1833 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). Afaik other neighborhoods declined with crack, but Kensington was notable for pills and opiates. It has one of the largest rates of shootings in the city and is the scene of many murders. Even Dr. Oz took the time to show us a Kensington Avenue as a "hellscape." The city has a higher rate of violent crime than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. Housing justice advocates have criticized the citys treatment of encampment residents in both Kensington and Center City, alleging that officials fail to provide adequate long-term housing options after shutting down their living sites. The Free Library of Philadelphia operates the McPherson Square Branch at 601 East Indiana Avenue,[50] and the Kensington Branch at 104 W Dauphin Street. A 25-year-old woman was shot once in her left leg. Knowing Kensington Avenue like I do, I am distressed by its predominantly negative and fetishized depiction in the media. Not by the thousands who call it home and certainly not by the merchants who, every day, open their businesses. GDP . The generally accepted boundaries of the neighborhood[citation needed] are Front Street and 5th Street to the West, the Amtrak train tracks to the North, Trenton Avenue, the Trenton Avenue train tracks, and Frankford Avenue to the East, and Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the South. Commissioner [Charles] Ramsey does not support it; no one in this department does. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. 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. A Google search for " Kensington Avenue Philadelphia " yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. This is not a one and done, and well keep doing the work.. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you . A "person of interest" in the case, Antonio Rodriguez, was arrested in January 2011. However, some sections of the neighborhood have been revitalized in recent years, especially those near Frankford Avenue, Kensington's neighbor south of Lehigh Avenue, and Fishtown, another traditionally working-class neighborhood which has seen rents increase. Jason Meyer watched from his wheelchair as city personnel tried to clean up the chaos near Kensington and Allegheny avenues on Wednesday morning. Kensington Avenue also benefits from the non-profit organizations operating there. [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. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. The area is known as the center of Kensington and was historically the commercial center of the neighborhood. Worse than plain heroin. Max Marin (he/him) was Billy Penn's investigative reporter from 2018 to 2021. These are bakeries, daycares, artist spaces, and coffee roasters; businesses selected to draw foot traffic and fill much-needed service gaps. They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York, carrying banners demanding, "We want to go to School and not the mines! Who is Henry Winklers Son? During my three years managing commercial corridors for theThe New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), on Kensington Avenue and several other business thoroughfares, I got to know the small business owners, civic associations, and other stakeholders working every day to revitalize the local economy. As momentum grows, more and more entrepreneurs are looking at Kensington Avenue as a viable corridor for their businesses. Heriza became interested in Kensington after seeing a 2018 article in the New York Times magazine about the drug epidemic in the neighborhood. The decision has saved the city millions, and won cheers nationwide from drug-law reformers. 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. Compared to the infamous Skid Row in Los Angeles, Kensingtons homeless problem doesnt seem as bad. Philadelphias police force is inarguably overwhelmed by the scope of the citys addiction problems. History set Kensington up for a steady decline. Subs are Suboxone, a pill containing buprenophine, a drug that eases the pain of heroin withdrawal. As of right now, I dont think anyone is confident that theres any sort of larger plan that can account for each person.. A quick search brings up a plethora of articles outlining the ongoing issues Kensington faces, the overdose rates and weekly deaths. The city's violent crime rate is higher than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. There is a common criticism that officials would never let this happen in whiter, more affluent parts of the city. The case was dropped in July. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. Butterworth and Sons Company Building, Kensington Corridor Trust Community Garden, community development financial institution, Jules E. Mastbaum Vocational Technical High School, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania", "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Beatty's Mills Factory Building", "Coral Street Arts House - NKCDC - An income based apartment for artists", "Insane Surge in Philadelphia Gentrification", "PhilaPlace - The Kensington Riots of 1844", "Maps make you wonder, what is Fishtown? If BP helped inform you, join as a member today! The neighborhood has long been a catchment for people from the suburbs, Delaware and New Jersey who suffer from addiction, and yet the city has been left on its own to clean up the mess. Not everyone who takes advantage of the trade on Kensington Ave lives nearby, though. Disinvestment and general neglect has led to high abandonment in some sections of the neighborhood, catalyzing several grassroots actions from its residents.
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