In-depth, original reporting on housing, transportation, and development. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. Youre out there talking to junkies with a couple ounces of drugs in them who cant be trusted to make a lucid statement.. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story. Drug activity is not hidden here, especially not when heroin can go for as cheap as $5 a bag. Prevention Point Philadelphia, a public health organization providing harm reduction services to Philadelphia and surrounding areas. The number of drug overdose . The United States Post Office operates the Kensington Post Office at 1602 Frankford Ave.[47] The U.S. 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. They were en route to more serious crimes going down to the west in the Badlands. Kensington Ave Phila : r/philadelphia - reddit All About Max Winkler. The median yearly income of the neighborhood is $28,368, ranging from $18,516 to $77,979. 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.. Philly police release video, photos of person they say cut fiber-optic Every day Jorge Rosario, 52, a resident of the Kensington section Philadelphia cleans the sidewalk along the 2700 block of Kensington Ave., Philadelphia. Neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States, primarily white young urban professionals, H.W. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, Here's What Happened Today, Tuesday, Sept 7, 20 . Despite lobbying council members and state representatives, no change has been made. The killer is referred to by the media as "The Kensington Strangler". GDP . That camp was cleared, and another formed. It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington Avenue. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. Anything else is tantamount to poverty porn and disrespectful to the people who dedicate their lives to making Kensington Avenue a better place. [10], By the mid-19th century, Kensington became one of the leading centers of the textile industry, particularly in carpet. This is probably one of the most drug infested streets in Philadelphia. Today, the neighborhood is full of decrepit two-story rowhouses and many abandoned commercial spaces: defunct factories and vacant lots. The New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. Postal service considers 19134 (Richmond Station) as the area known as Port Richmond. Philadelphia deadly stabbing near Kensington park on 4th Street under Addicts say. 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. Zombie Infested Shithole: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue Those of us who work and have worked in this community are routinely disappointed by these narratives, and the merchants on Kensington Avenue have their livelihood betrayed by them. Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes not that were counting. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. Eight months after Kensington's disaster declaration, progress is 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. In his first budget, the Mayor worked closely with City Council to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives. They paint a picture of a poverty zoo. The entire estate consisted of 191.5 acres of land, much smaller than the present-day Kensington area. Days before the start of the New Year, the 16-year-old girl from the Philadelphia suburbs disappears for the third time in four months as she battles a heroin addiction that . 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. Disinvestment and general neglect has led to high abandonment in some sections of the neighborhood, catalyzing several grassroots actions from its residents. 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. During our visit, addicts casually moved in and out, bringing and injecting their Badlands-bought heroin. Neighborhood residents have raged against City Hall for years over the litany of woes from drug dealing to missed trash collection. The city sees hope in this kind of intervention. Nine years later and were still talking about it. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. Answer (1 of 3): Kensington is the dark side of Western Industrialized society. Kensington, as most long-term residents view it, refers generally to the area consisting of Kensington, East, or Lower Kensington, West Kensington, and Harrowgate. 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. A 25-year-old woman was shot once in her left leg. Ironically, even some addicts on Kensington Avenue dont believe in legalization. Parents will walk their children to the bus stop, even if it can be seen from their front door, and wait there with them until the bus comes. We have four outreach teams out in Kensington every day. Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street (1895). All About Max Winkler. [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. Two emergency shelters closed along Kensington Avenue within the last year. 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. Subs and Xany bars, subs and Xany bars, chant men in cockeyed baseball caps while pacing the corner, searching the crowd for potential customers. 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. 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. gdpGdp There is also a charter school, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. 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. civic associations and business alliances, which instills hope that development will be inclusive. 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. [56], In 2010, three women (Elaine Goldberg, 21; Nicole Piacentini, 35; and Casey Mahoney, 27) were strangled to death in the neighborhood. No one denies this. 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. Looking to be close to Center City by both car and transit, young white collar workers have been moving to cheaper neighborhoods around downtown. The majority of the neighborhood is renter occupied, 55.6% overall, and up to 66.3% in one tract. Each program mixes interviews with guest travel experts, your call-ins with questions and comments, and music. Significant rent increases are commonly triggered by increasing property values and a new wealthier demographic that can afford to pay higher rents. Skidrownews July 1, 2021 12:21 pm Most dangerous street in Philadelphia Kensington Philadelphia Drug & Crime Problems Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. Watch on Most dangerous street in Philadelphia Kensington Philadelphia Drug & Crime Problems Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. "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 . The city of Philadelphia has set a deadline of Aug. 18 for encampments of people living homeless on the sidewalks of Kensington to be cleared. Once it hit rock bottom, the need for an outlet brought more people in. Almost half of the neighborhoods residents live below the poverty line. Mark Squilla is the Councilmember for District 1 and Maria D. Quiones Snchez is the Councilmember for District 7. While the moniker Killadelphia implies gangland warfare, Kensington is plagued by another culprit: the drug trade. It happened shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday in the area of Fairhill Square Park at 4th Street and Lehigh Avenue. There was a major street gang located at K&A that started as a burglary ring but eventually moved into drug trafficking in the 80s. 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. 550 Kensington Philadelphia Premium High Res Photos [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. A textile factory will feature apartments and commercial space. ', "Trapped by the 'Walmart of Heroin' Housing Alliance of PA.org", "Philadelphia's Kensington Avenue: Heroin, Prostitution, and No Police", Police arrest 'Kensington Strangler' person of interest, "9 people shot outside bar in Philadelphia: report", "9 shot outside bar in Kensington: Philadelphia police", New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Graduate Hospital / Southwest Center City, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kensington,_Philadelphia&oldid=1140536041, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox settlement with possible area code list, Pages using infobox settlement with no coordinates, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2022, Articles with failed verification from June 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. Even the pandemic doesn't slow down Philadelphia's drug markets "PR," age 41, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted at trial of all counts with which he was charged, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute crack and heroin, arising from his leadership role in supplying a drug . Tony Rogers, a recovered heroin addict and reformed career criminal who warmly calls the motley crowds on Kensington Avenue my old tribe, says, In 20 years of using back here, I never once saw a cop come on the Tracks unless they chased somebody in here.. The decision has saved the city millions, and won cheers nationwide from drug-law reformers. 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. 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. Knowing Kensington Avenue like I do, I am distressed by its predominantly negative and fetishized depiction in the media. Despite research on the positive effects of these sites, the Trump administration blocked them from being established. You can see people with there faces smashed. 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. Whos got works? she calls out to nobody in particular. 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. sekiyuji on Twitter: " Streets of It was a scene that rivaled the aftermath of a storm, its victims caught up in forces that leave many hungry, homeless and hopeless. 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. Its mid-century decline due to deindustrialization paralyzed Kensington. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. Franklin oversaw narcotics operations around Baltimore for much of his 34 years in law enforcement and knows well the futility of locking up addicts en masse. The few other businesses Chinese take outs and Irish pubs have missing persons signs hung in the windows. While most of the large manufacturers have left, the area has many small shops and large renovated factories and warehouses for newer artisans to set up shop. Kensington development team seeks middle ground between gentrification and stagnation. City workers clear two encampments on Kensington Avenue - Inquirer.com Some residents of Kensington wont go out without driving, not wanting to walk through the neighborhood despite living there. Construction has started on Penns Landing park over I-95 highway trench. 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. Parts of it were once called the 'Badlands' and it is hell on earth. Dozens camp around trash bin fire in Philadelphia's 'Skid Row' A rail-thin woman with hollowed-out cheeks rushed from beneath the El tracks. Several men rush to be the first to make a dollar selling her a syringe. Speaking as someone coming from this field, it can be unforgiving and thirsty work, defined by small victories and glorious defeats. The white residents fled to the suburbs and people of color and limited means moved in. The number of drug overdose deaths in the city . The Avenue runs 3 miles through what is now a dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhood. More recently fentanyl is being replaced with an animal tranquilizer called Xylazine or Tranq. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue . Many of these residents dont have homes. 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 . This is Kensington Ave my friend. 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. Kensington Drug Boss Convicted at Trial for Supplying Crack and Heroin They tried to institute safe-injection sites, where users can shoot up without fear of prosecution. However, the drug market remained decentralized, running through small groups of dealers that were harder to prosecute than, say, a crime syndicate. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. Philly's Kensington is a zombie apocalypse ignored by Biden on city visit