Re: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Building a Philadelphia that works for every neighborhood with a focus on equity, opportunity, efficiency, and inclusion. Kensington and Somerset. Wednesdays encampment closure was initially postponed due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of residents. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story. sekiyuji on Twitter: " Streets of The government has shown attempts at trying. City workers clear two encampments on Kensington Avenue - Inquirer.com 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. Philadelphia Police Investigating Kensington Double Shooting That This energy is not relegated to existing businesses. 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 . 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? We talk about our favorite travels in Europe, as well as travel anywhere in the U.S. and the rest of the world. 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. Kensington, Philadelphia - Wikipedia Dozens camp around trash bin fire in Philadelphia's 'Skid Row' Most encampment residents had moved out from the former site before Wednesday morning. Looks not far from K&A, the intersection of Kensington and Alleghany Ave. The white residents fled to the suburbs and people of color and limited means moved in. [7] Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. Clifton Mills, Building 4, 1809-11 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). Then they, like Kensginton, began to decline further. 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. 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. A Google search for Kensington Avenue Philadelphia yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. 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. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. My name is Mariska and I'm living my best life while living the van life. Persuading the federal government to change its prohibition stance will prove difficult, considering how fiercely divisive the issue is among law enforcement. Construction is slated to start this week on Arguto Court, an adaptive reuse project featuring office space and a cafe. For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. Users flock to the scene. Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. (Instead of a paywall). The stranglers final victim, a prostitute named Casey Mahoney, was murdered here. Philadelphia officials developed what they call the "encampment resolution" process in 2017 after the city swept a . 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. The majority of the neighborhood is renter occupied, 55.6% overall, and up to 66.3% in one tract. Nine years later and were still talking about it. Its a place where many admit they dont want to be, but cant get away from. ', "Kensington residents ask: 'Why would you think this is acceptable for us? (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? Mattresses lie in the mud along the railway where prostitutes trick, and rapes and assaults are common. Clifton Mills, 1833 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June - YouTube The entire estate consisted of 191.5 acres of land, much smaller than the present-day Kensington area. Afaik other neighborhoods declined with crack, but Kensington was notable for pills and opiates. Is Philadelphia's Kensington section safe? - Quora MeekMill on Twitter: "Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What Despite lobbying council members and state representatives, no change has been made. 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. "You can't buy, use, and recover in the same neighborhood," Bingham said. Though Kensington addicts seem to think so, the police department pushed back forcefully against this notion. 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. Estimates vary between 300 and 650 people living on the street. But a day later, and not far away, on the 1700 block of West Atlantic Street in North Philly, there was bloodshed and death. In the absence of a larger plan, he was certain those encampments would grow in the coming weeks. The New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. Rethinking the Kensington drug crisis - WHYY To the east of Kensington, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond are each predominantly white neighborhoods. Kensington Ave - Everything You Want To Know About Philadelphia's Skid Multiple people were injured after a messy crash in the Kensington section of the city. 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. [33] Such a phenomenon is happening across Kensington, causing long-term residents to be priced out. Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit. "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 . That camp was cleared, and another formed. The Columbia Works, 155-59 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA. Heroin isnt sold here muchthat trade is controlled by Latin drug crews in the Badlands. Gladstein acknowledged the problem is too vast to contain with just targeted actions like the one Wednesday morning. Philly's Kensington is a zombie apocalypse ignored by Biden on city visit [Kensington] presents a prime opportunity for a heroin maintenance program where addicts could get heroin legally, safely, and free of cost so they dont commit robberies and other crimes to support their habits. 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 is worst nightmare for family of runaway daughter 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. 'There still is no answer': Philly cracks down on Kensington gdpGdp 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 city's violent crime rate is higher than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas.1 Also alarming is Philadelphia's drug overdose rate. Progress, even the slightest measures, can have enormous impact. [32][failed verification] The majority of its population is Hispanic or Latino (59.9%), consisting primarily of Puerto Rican and Dominican Americans. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. Looking to be close to Center City by both car and transit, young white collar workers have been moving to cheaper neighborhoods around downtown. Additionally, there is a large population of homeless individuals. You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Documentary, June 23-24, 2022. It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington Avenue. The dualities are stark; Kensington is still an avenue of pain and trauma, ground zero for the opioid crisis, prostitution, and poverty. Also alarming is Philadelphia's drug overdose rate. 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. Kensington Avenue's ghoulish world of addiction and prostitution exists outside the law. McNeil Laboratories began with the purchase of a pharmacy in the area in 1879 by the company's namesake. Forgotten by whom? There is also a charter school, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. The underpass is cleared of homeless during the regular Friday morning police enforced clean-up at the homeless encampment on Kensington Avenue north of E. Lehigh Ave. on the Kensington neighborhood of North Philadelphia on Friday, April 27, 2018. Knowing Kensington Avenue like I do, I am distressed by its predominantly negative and fetishized depiction in the media. 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. [51] After Philadelphia Police forcibly removed a large encampment of these people from an abandoned railroad track by Lehigh Avenue, several smaller encampments formed under the tracks. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave, Here's What Happened Today Along with its teeming trade in illicit materials, Kensington is also a highly dangerous neighborhood. PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Multiple people were injured after a messy crash in the Kensington section of the city. Neighbors raised alarms about addicts bringing violent sex crimes to the blocks where families live. Despite research on the positive effects of these sites, the Trump administration blocked them from being established. The storefront challenge is a proactive answer to the inequity created by corridor vacancy. This is Kensington Ave my friend. It is this sort of activism, buoyed by engaged (and zoning savvy!) Its an environment, they say, that is more tolerant of drug use than ever. 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. [57] Rodriguez confessed to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison in 2012. This is a regional problem that Kensington is very graciously dealing with., Nice to see you. Addictions a medical problem; cops dont want to deal with that. 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. Give your readers the whole story. Strong community groups and nonprofits in Kensington have used the neighborhood's empty lots as an opportunity to create community garden spaces. At least four hurt in eight-vehicle pileup on Kensington Avenue in But Gladstein said many people remain shelter resistant for various reasons and the number of emergency beds near Kensington where people actively use drugs is limited. 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. Compared to the infamous Skid Row in Los Angeles, Kensingtons homeless problem doesnt seem as bad. This is not a one and done, and well keep doing the work.. Two smiling beat cops dressed in crisp, pressed uniforms foot-patrolled the areas perimeter but steered clear of the crowds around Somerset Street. [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 users who buy in the Badlands come to Kensington to shoot up. Postal service considers 19134 (Richmond Station) as the area known as Port Richmond. Philadelphia, PA (February 26, 2023) - After noon on Sunday, February 26, a serious eight-vehicle collision with injuries took place in Philadelphia. Max Winkler is an American director, writer and producer and is also the son of legendary actor Henry Winker. 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. Eyes on the Street brings new ideas and fresh voices into the conversation about Philadelphias changing cityscape. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? The Daily Beast spent a night at this open-air market for pills and needles, talking to users and prostitutes about whats come to pass for normalcy in Kensington: hard-core drug use without police interference. 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. At A and Indiana, an anxious crowd gathered, their eyes filled with the weary desperation that is so emblematic of addiction. However, sensationalizing poverty, fetishizing small businesses, and minimizing the collective efforts of a community on the rise are the cheap tactics of bad journalists. Through it all, I consistently found myself impressed in awe of the merchants on Kensington Avenue and hopeful for their entrepreneurial futures. 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. Many of these residents dont have homes. Zombie Infested Shithole: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue 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. As for other encampments nearby, he said the city will need to post additional notice before staging more evictions. Jackie is missing. (2021 Crime Rates And Crime Stats), Is Pittsburgh Safe To Visit? The original area of Kensington is now more commonly called "Fishtown," mainly because of the shad fishing that was one of the dominant businesses in Kensington in the 18th and 19th centuries. Groups of Irish Americans, Polish Americans, and Asian Americans also make up the neighborhood. 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. Who is Henry Winklers Son? Things just got worse, and more violent, the more we arrested people.. The median yearly income of the neighborhood is $28,368, ranging from $18,516 to $77,979. Drawing from community informed strategic plans, they build relationships and provide support business by business. It happened Monday around 10:40 p.m. on the. Called the largest open-air narcotics market on the East Coast, Kensington Avenue has, without a doubt, made a name for itself. He also sold to recent German fishermen immigrants. Crack houses and shooting galleries were raided because women could easily get raped and killed there. Not everyone who takes advantage of the trade on Kensington Ave lives nearby, though. Nobody rousts or arrests the line of addicts nodded out in full view in the gutter. At least four people were transported to the hospital and about eight vehicles were involved in the crash. Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible tent cities that grew along a series of underpasses. Thats anywhere from three to six times the mere 100 emergency shelter beds that were available in June, WHYY News reported. 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). Addicts say. Hate crime charges for Hatboro woman who launched racist rant against Amys Pizzeria, Temple faculty still deciding on no confidence vote, Philly City Council considers moving budget hearings to in-person. From there, drug dens sprung up across the neighborhood and allowed for gangs to breed in the area. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. 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. At stake in all this, is the soul of a place where Philadelphians have made a living, shopped and socialized for generations. This street wears its heart on its sleeve, triumphs, and failures on full display. SEPTA's MarketFrankford Line runs to Center City from Kensington, offering short commute times. Even the pandemic doesn't slow down Philadelphia's drug markets Kensington Philadelphia News - 6abc Philadelphia 'Savage Sisters' care for those with addiction in Kensington, Philly firefighters rescue dog from house fire in Kensington, A group in recovery helps those battling the same addictions, Kensington teacher-turned-baker makes school sweeter, Man, woman in critical condition after being rescued from rowhome fire, Police searching for suspect after deadly Kensington hit-and-run, 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 who attacked, robbed mechanic inside repair shop, 3 shot outside Kensington elementary school; dozens of rounds fired, 2 men found shot in the head inside Kensington home, Police: Woman shot by boyfriend in Kensington, 2 men shot after confrontation turns violent in Kensington, Crime Fighters: Man gunned down while washing car; killer at large, Suspect in custody after baby wounded in shooting, Suspect identified in shooting that left baby wounded. Words such "hopeless" and "dystopian" punctuate an endless scrawl of depressing articles. [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. Video captures violent Philadelphia carjacking on Kensington Avenue; 2 The number of drug overdose . Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Documentary, June 23 - YouTube SBC News 188K subscribers Subscribe 10K 1.4M views 1 year ago #SBCNews. Commercial revitalization in the form of businesses a community has use for is a powerful weapon. 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. 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. The camp was cleared, the people chose new spots in the neighborhood to overrun with used needles, overdoses, and trash. 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 drug is even cheaper to produce and procure than fentanyl and is more dangerous in the sense that Narcan is not effective against overdoses. 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. 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). As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. 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. Now home to fifty-one residents, this former source of blight is transformed to a beacon of hope. Construction has started on Penns Landing park over I-95 highway trench. kensington ave philadelphia - summer daytime compilation GDPGDP Its how we live. Neighborhood residents have raged against City Hall for years over the litany of woes from drug dealing to missed trash collection. 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. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021 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. Many progressives endorse the idea of allowing addicts to get high in certain sections of cities without fear of arrest. The Avenue runs 3 miles through what is now a dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhood. 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. These 4 nieborhoods are very simialer as far as their economic situations. It is part of the River Wards section of the city, a group of neighborhoods close to the Delaware River in North Philadelphia. History set Kensington up for a steady decline. Dealers stand out in the open, hawking their wares. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue the city shut them down one by one, vowing improvement at every step of the way. As it is just north of Fishtown, higher income residents have been moving further up, increasing property values and rents. Multiple people injured after crash in Kensington. 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. 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. They have attempted to clean up the neighborhoods, planting trees and replacing broken street lights. [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. Soon, thanks to this effort and efforts like it, they wont have to. Theres a significant number of people who commute to this space to pick up what they need, making the residual effects of the narcotic empire spread far and wide. Police said the victim is a 43-year-old man, who was stabbed multiple times. Read more ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer by Alfred Lubrano Published Aug 5, 2021 Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you . This summer, the Philadelphia Police Department canceled seven blocks in the area due to safety concerns.