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 . You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street (1895). 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. However, fentanyl has replaced heroin completely and it is rare that you find anyone using pure heroin in Kensington. The citys unrelenting heat wave has left them worse for wear, their exposed skin coated in a glaze of sweat, their tank tops and shorts smeared with street grime. Also alarming is Philadelphia's drug overdose rate. These sites have proven to avoid overdoses and connect users to long-term help. Frankford Avenue Baptist Church, 2347-49 Frankford Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA (1889). In Philadelphia's Kensington district, home to one of the largest open-air drug markets in the United States, crowds of sellers and buyers flock to corners as if there never were a pandemic. Official estimates vary as to how many people are living on Kensingtons streets. 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). Because of the high number of drugs in Kensington, the neighborhood has a drug crime rate of 3.57, the third-highest rate by neighborhood in Philadelphia.3 Like a lot of the country, a big part of this issue is a result of the opioid epidemic. [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. Palmer was an English merchant who came to Philadelphia by 1704 from Barbados. Safehouse, a nonprofit founded in 2018 with the purpose of opening the first supervised injection site in the country, sought a location in Kensington after their proposed South Philly location ran into opposition from neighbors of the site. Philadelphias District Attorney Seth Williams risked backlash from hardcore law-and-order types when he recently stopped criminally prosecuting minor marijuana offenses. Before the Act of Consolidation, 1854, the Kensington District included portions of the neighborhoods known today as Olde Kensington, East Kensington, West Kensington, and Fishtown, with its northern border at Lehigh Avenue. 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. 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. 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. City data supporting those numbers was not readily available. Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. Drug dealers at the corners. Overnight, people are getting stabbed. During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. 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. Or theyre just going to go to the back streets.. Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit. According to Philadelphia Police, the accident happened at 3300 Kensington Avenue in the Kensington section of Philly. We talk about our favorite travels in Europe, as well as travel anywhere in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Its a scene that will look familiar to viewers of HBOs The Wire, an episode of which, titled Hamsterdam, showed Baltimore police effectively legalizing drugs within an established zone of an infested neighborhood. A silver Toyota pulls up to the curb and a heavy-set blonde hops out. 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. However, the drug market remained decentralized, running through small groups of dealers that were harder to prosecute than, say, a crime syndicate. The problem is, no one seems to want to write about the good. link to Whatever Happened To Natalie Raitano. The neighborhood also recently has seen a large influx of primarily white young urban professionals and gentrification, particularly in Fishtown[3] which is no longer considered to be Kensington and in Olde Kensington, Norris Square, and East Kensington. Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes not that were counting. During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. One such is the cluster of businesses just off the Huntingdon Market Frankford Line stop, where two of Phillys best Vietnamese restaurants, Thang Long Noodle Restaurant and Caf Pho Gha Than Than reside. There is also a charter school, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. Mayor Jim Kenney is possibly one of the worse mayor in the Philadelphia history and does nothing to stop it. There still is no answer for the full number of people out here, McKinney said. [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. The problem is that Kensington Avenue is largely unseen by Philadelphians. This street wears its heart on its sleeve, triumphs, and failures on full display. 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. The Avenue runs 3 miles through what is now a dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhood. 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?. Clifton Mills, 1833 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). We have four outreach teams out in Kensington every day. [5] The current greater Kensington area roughly coincides with the former Kensington District, Richmond District, Aramingo Borough, and Northern Liberties Township. But a day later, and not far away, on the 1700 block of West Atlantic Street in North Philly, there was bloodshed and death. 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. 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 . 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.. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. [34], Kensington is home to a large population homeless individuals, many of whom suffer from addiction. 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. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. Kensington Independent Civic Association), This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 14:40. Not everyone who takes advantage of the trade on Kensington Ave lives nearby, though. Harrowgate is the furthest north, bordering Juniata and named for Harrowgate Park. There was a homeless camp set up in a railroad gulch in Kensington called El Campamento. According to police, the man was transported to Temple. 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. During my career I concluded we werent making a dent in drug addiction or related crime. Looks not far from K&A, the intersection of Kensington and Alleghany Ave. "You can't buy, use, and recover in the same neighborhood," Bingham said. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. 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. Worse than plain heroin. [7] Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. 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. Despite lobbying council members and state representatives, no change has been made. However, heroin and fentanyl is without a doubt the most popular drugs. Two men nodded in a drug-addled stupor on a sidewalk on Kensington Avenue. 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. Kensington and Cambria. 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. I n the underworld of Philadelphia, beneath the elevated subway line along Kensington Avenue, tears were as prevalent as needles. 2913-15 Kensington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19134 (215) 634-5272 Prevention Point Philadelphia is a harm reduction center that provides syringe exchange services, free medical care, linkage to drug treatment, housing services, HIV/HCV testing, free meals, mail services, medical care, legal services and overdose prevention, and reversal training. The most conservative boundaries of the neighborhood, shown in the map below, 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. 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. Just before 5 p.m. the following day, in the 2100 block of North 20th Street, police found Dawson Johnson . "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 . Almost half of the neighborhoods residents live below the poverty line. Drug activity is not hidden here, especially not when heroin can go for as cheap as $5 a bag. Yet the city has promised zero tolerance for encampments before, and the crackdowns have not yielded a long term solution. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? They were en route to more serious crimes going down to the west in the Badlands. Kensington's river ward identity puts it in contrast with the neighborhoods to its west. [59] [60]. On January 4, 2016, Jim Kenney was sworn in as the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia. SBC News 188K subscribers Subscribe 10K 1.4M views 1 year ago #SBCNews. To the east of Kensington, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond are each predominantly white neighborhoods. 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. 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. Personal items will be held in city storage for 30 days, officials said. A 25-year-old woman was shot once in her left leg. Kensington Avenue also benefits from the non-profit organizations operating there. But despite its joys, a neighborhood called Kensington made a name for itself as home to the nation's highest rates of heroin overdoses. Upwards of 100 people camp out there every night and its not for stargazing. [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. This is Kensington Ave my friend. McPherson Square is the heart of Kensington. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened.. 14 19 . 4 2023 , ! In his first budget, the Mayor worked closely with City Council to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives. It is part of the River Wards section of the city, a group of neighborhoods close to the Delaware River in North Philadelphia. This number is shockingly low compared to the overall Philadelphia average of $122,113 but is still better compared to previous years. 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. The majority of the neighborhood is renter occupied, 55.6% overall, and up to 66.3% in one tract. This has made it hard for police to quell the trade. Im out here too, and I think its fucking insanity. Ironically, even some addicts on Kensington Avenue dont believe in legalization. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans, mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, and African Americans. ', "Kensington residents ask: 'Why would you think this is acceptable for us? Additionally, 65.8%, almost two thirds, of Kensington residents can be described financially as "poor or struggling" (defined by a Ratio of Income in 2020 to Poverty Level of under 2.00). A Google search for " Kensington Avenue Philadelphia " yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. 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. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. No one denies this. Answer (1 of 7): I live and minister here as a pastor. Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. Fentanyl has devastating withdrawal effects, though. It is similar to Central Kensington but is slightly quieter and has fewer crimes. Many of these residents dont have homes. Look, he says, junkies got rights, too. This is a regional problem that Kensington is very graciously dealing with., Nice to see you. 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. Kensington was the birthplace of the K&A Gang, an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s. The help is there, but its not enough. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. Looking to be close to Center City by both car and transit, young white collar workers have been moving to cheaper neighborhoods around downtown. Kensington has always been a rough area since before the 70s. These territorial disputes happen in clear daylight, theres no concern for the repercussions. What sort of reprieve Wednesdays action will offer neighbors and business owners remains unclear. Kensington has several medium and small sized parks and playgrounds which offer a variety of uses for visitors. There are real, endemic issues at play on the Avenue. Many died there. Significant rent increases are commonly triggered by increasing property values and a new wealthier demographic that can afford to pay higher rents. Thats anywhere from three to six times the mere 100 emergency shelter beds that were available in June, WHYY News reported. Anything else is tantamount to poverty porn and disrespectful to the people who dedicate their lives to making Kensington Avenue a better place. Well probably have a detail stationed [there], Alexander said. Were trying to make sure people are attaching to services rather than moving, Gladstein said. 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. Prevention Point Philadelphia, a public health organization providing harm reduction services to Philadelphia and surrounding areas. Eight months ago, the Kensington Strangler was stalking and murdering addicted prostitutes who worked the Avenue. 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 right to shop locally in your community is enjoyed by most Philadelphia residents, and Kensingtonians are taking their corridor back. 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. Agraduate of Temple University, he has produced award-winning journalism on local politics, criminal justice, immigration Philadelphia is known for its rich history, cheesesteak, and love for the Eagles. 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. The stranglers final victim, a prostitute named Casey Mahoney, was murdered here. Philadelphia, PA (February 26, 2023) - After noon on Sunday, February 26, a serious eight-vehicle collision with injuries took place in Philadelphia. Two smiling beat cops dressed in crisp, pressed uniforms foot-patrolled the areas perimeter but steered clear of the crowds around Somerset Street. It happened shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday in the area of Fairhill Square Park at 4th Street and Lehigh Avenue. Like many corridors, there are destination spots for Philly foodies. Commercial revitalization in the form of businesses a community has use for is a powerful weapon. Multiple people injured after crash in Kensington. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. 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. Re: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Building a Philadelphia that works for every neighborhood with a focus on equity, opportunity, efficiency, and inclusion. The cap will be home to nearly 12 acres of parkland and seamlessly connect Old City to the Delaware River waterfront at Penns Landing. 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. Google Maps borders for Kensington show it including much of what is considered Fishtown and excludes West Kensington. Protestors demanded a clear reopening date for the station, safer conditions for SEPTA workers, addiction services, services for homeless people in the area, and more. (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? 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 You can see people with there faces smashed. On Wednesday, Steve, a 30-year-old fentanyl user who declined to give his last name, said he sympathized with the residents plight. 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. The United States Post Office operates the Kensington Post Office at 1602 Frankford Ave.[47] The U.S. [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. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue . Addicts duck into vacant lots on the Avenue after returning from dope corners a couple of blocks away and, barely concealed by high weeds, casually cook and shoot speedballs. Suffice to say it is not a place to go at night. All About Max Winkler. The camp was cleared, the people chose new spots in the neighborhood to overrun with used needles, overdoses, and trash. SEPTA's MarketFrankford Line runs to Center City from Kensington, offering short commute times. Rule 2 does not apply when replying to this stickied comment.. Rule 2 does apply throughout the rest of this thread.. What this means: Please keep any "meta" discussion directed at specific users, mods, or r/conspiracy in general in this comment chain only.. 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 Postal Service designates Kensington as ZIP codes 19125 (Kensington Station). 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. They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York, carrying banners demanding, "We want to go to School and not the mines! 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. WHYY provides trustworthy, fact-based, local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community. Corridor vacancy, lower costs of real estate, and dedicated community groups and entrepreneurs make for an attractive location. Over time black and Hispanic street dealers took over larger portions of the drug trade, especially heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine. 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.. Soon, thanks to this effort and efforts like it, they wont have to. Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible tent cities that grew along a series of underpasses. Since then, drug activity and homelessness has intensified in the shadow of the El between the Somerset and Allegheny stops on the Market-Frankford Line. Police said the victim is a 43-year-old man, who was stabbed multiple times. Several men rush to be the first to make a dollar selling her a syringe. Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia is infamous for drug abuse and prostitution. While the moniker Killadelphia implies gangland warfare, Kensington is plagued by another culprit: the drug trade. Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks floor seat tickets.

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