Since 2015, 295 people have been shot within a five minute walk of Kensington and Allegheny, a busy intersection at the heart of the neighborhood, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer analysis. The area is densely residential, but crime rates are highest in this part of Kensington and, because of relocation actions taken by Philadelphia's Police,[7][8] it has the highest concentration of homeless and opioid addicted residents. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? Help in Kensington - State of Emergency Overnight, people are getting stabbed. Soon, it too will house a commercial tenant and NKCDCs new offices. pic.twitter.com/yXU3zfzpGp. Stop writing about Kensington Avenue like its Mordor. 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 Philly, Will More Police Officers Reduce Gun Violence? Some even offer free samples. 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. McPherson Square is the heart of Kensington. Video captures violent Philadelphia carjacking on Kensington Avenue; 2 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. 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. Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks floor seat tickets. Eyes on the Street brings new ideas and fresh voices into the conversation about Philadelphias changing cityscape. 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. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, What happened - YouTube When we can make the right connection for people, its really successful, Gladstein said. 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. Zombie Infested Shithole: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue Today, the neighborhood is full of decrepit two-story rowhouses and many abandoned commercial spaces: defunct factories and vacant lots. Probably for. Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street (1895). Fishtown, formerly a small subsection of Kensington, has transformed with a new population of more college educated white people as well as increased investment from real estate developers. Agraduate of Temple University, he has produced award-winning journalism on local politics, criminal justice, immigration 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. Kensington belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia. Clifton Mills, 1833 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). A silver Toyota pulls up to the curb and a heavy-set blonde hops out. This isnt a Kensington problem, he said. 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. Mainstays such as Martins Deli, Four Sons Pizza, and Bentleys Place operate as they have for decades, plugging along, believing in the strength of their community. 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.. However, heroin and fentanyl is without a doubt the most popular drugs. Almost half of the neighborhoods residents live below the poverty line. Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. Max Marin (he/him) was Billy Penn's investigative reporter from 2018 to 2021. [48], In 2011 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced the closures of three Kensington Catholic schools, as their student numbers had declined: Ascension of Our Lord, St. Anne, and St. Hugh of Cluny.[49]. Give your readers the whole story. [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. 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.. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. According to police, the man was transported to Temple. Read more ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer by Alfred Lubrano Published Aug 5, 2021 Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. It is this sort of activism, buoyed by engaged (and zoning savvy!) Yet the city has promised zero tolerance for encampments before, and the crackdowns have not yielded a long term solution. Natalie Raitano is a fitness instructor and former actress who is most famously known for her role on the show V.I.P. [35][citation needed]. Fentanyl has devastating withdrawal effects, though. 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? Philadelphia is known for its rich history, cheesesteak, and love for the Eagles. Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit. [41] However, some residents and many harm reduction advocates in the area are supportive.[35][42]. Kensington was originally a blue collar neighborhood that thrived on the factories built there. Words such "hopeless" and "dystopian" punctuate an endless scrawl of depressing articles. Mark Squilla is the Councilmember for District 1 and Maria D. Quiones Snchez is the Councilmember for District 7. This energy is not relegated to existing businesses. 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. At least four hurt in eight-vehicle pileup on Kensington Avenue in Johnson knowseven with a colorful awning and bright lightingher cafe might not get a lot of consumer street traffic. According to NeighborhhoodLink, an online source for demographics, geography and economic statistics, the average house value in the 19125 zip code of Kensington is now at $43,500. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. [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. In his first budget, the Mayor worked closely with City Council to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives. (2021 Crime Rates And Crime Stats), Is Pittsburgh Safe To Visit? Kensington homeless encampments are set for Aug. 18 clear-out. Many 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. 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. But despite its joys, a neighborhood called Kensington made a name for itself as home to the nation's highest rates of heroin overdoses. [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. 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. 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 . I n the underworld of Philadelphia, beneath the elevated subway line along Kensington Avenue, tears were as prevalent as needles. Kensington Blues is a photography series by Jeffrey Stockbridge, 36, that documented the struggles and the dark reality of local residents. Things just got worse, and more violent, the more we arrested people.. At 4 p.m. on January 15, police found Jevon Gillette, 47, with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and thigh. They declared a statewide disaster over the drug epidemic in 2017. 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. Additionally, there is a large population of homeless individuals. GDP . Anything else is tantamount to poverty porn and disrespectful to the people who dedicate their lives to making Kensington Avenue a better place. link to Whatever Happened To Natalie Raitano. 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. PHILADELPHIA - Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Ricardo Carrion, a.k.a. Kensington was previously known for its large working class Irish Catholic community and was the site of the Philadelphia Nativist Riots in the 19th century. While the moniker Killadelphia implies gangland warfare, Kensington is plagued by another culprit: the drug trade. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans, mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, and African Americans. My name is Mariska and I'm living my best life while living the van life. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? 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. Welcome Van Life Wanderer! Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible "tent cities" that grew along a series of underpasses. [56], In 2010, three women (Elaine Goldberg, 21; Nicole Piacentini, 35; and Casey Mahoney, 27) were strangled to death in the neighborhood. Different tactics are required for each site, depending on whether its public or private property, he said. 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. Kensington development team seeks middle ground between gentrification and stagnation. NKCDC is working on the redevelopment of the Orinoka Civic House. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. kimgary 263K subscribers Subscribe 24K Share 3M views 1 year ago Most dangerous street in Philadelphia Kensington. 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 area is known as the center of Kensington and was historically the commercial center of the neighborhood. The help is there, but its not enough. Views Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. McKinney says the city could use regional support in creating a long-term solution for Kensington. Philadelphia Police Investigating Kensington Double Shooting 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. The town of Kensington was named for the area in London known as Kensington, which had been recently established as the residency of the British crown. 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. Heroin isnt sold here muchthat trade is controlled by Latin drug crews in the Badlands. All About Max Winkler. [40] In Kensington, most residents have opposed the plans and organized against the site being located in Kensington, including leaders of five civic organizations in the area. The problem is that Kensington Avenue is largely unseen by Philadelphians. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, What happened Today, October, 05, 2021. kimgary 266K subscribers 348K views 1 year ago Most dangerous street in Philadelphia Kensington. [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. 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. If BP helped inform you, join as a member today! The problem is, no one seems to want to write about the good. 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. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue . It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington. It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington Avenue. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY. 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. 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. The situation feels like its at a breaking point for some. This train starts at Bridge st. From Frankford , Juanita, Kensington and Fishtown. Nine years later and were still talking about it. ', "Kensington residents ask: 'Why would you think this is acceptable for us? The number of drug overdose deaths in the city . This lack of message parity is harmful to the corridor. Philadelphia is beautiful this time of year : r/tooktoomuch Palmer laid out his town and sold parcels to many of the shipwrights and shipbuilders who were outgrowing their riverfront lots in present-day Old City, Southwark, and Society Hill areas. 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. 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. Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. 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 Independent Civic Association), This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 14:40. Dozens camp around trash bin fire in Philadelphia's 'Skid Row' It is not safe . For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. [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. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021 Most encampment residents had moved out from the former site before Wednesday morning. Kensington was the birthplace of the K&A Gang, an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s. Upwards of 100 people camp out there every night and its not for stargazing. The city sees hope in this kind of intervention. 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. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you . 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. More recently fentanyl is being replaced with an animal tranquilizer called Xylazine or Tranq. Users flock to the scene. Gladstein acknowledged the problem is too vast to contain with just targeted actions like the one Wednesday morning. Im out here too, and I think its fucking insanity. Kensington is a primarily low income area after the loss of its industries in the 1960s during deindustrialization and the subsequent loss of much of its working class population to the suburbs. [39], The proposal to open a supervised injection site in Kensington has faced backlash from residents, despite the area's prevalent public drug use. She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since. Over time black and Hispanic street dealers took over larger portions of the drug trade, especially heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine. The Avenue runs 3 miles through what is now a dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhood. Several men rush to be the first to make a dollar selling her a syringe. The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. Were trying to make sure people are attaching to services rather than moving, Gladstein said. Kensington Avenue also benefits from the non-profit organizations operating there. 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. 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. 'There still is no answer': Philly cracks down on Kensington 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. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. 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. Construction is slated to start this week on Arguto Court, an adaptive reuse project featuring office space and a cafe. 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. Or theyre just going to go to the back streets.. Words such hopeless and dystopian punctuate an endless scrawl of depressing articles. 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 Star Carpet Mills, 1801-03 N. Howard Street, Kensington (188082). This street wears its heart on its sleeve, triumphs, and failures on full display. No one denies this. Representatives from these organizations economic development teams work hand in hand with business owners, residents, developers, and other stakeholders to strengthen the business community. Kensington: Past, Present and Future This Philadelphia neighborhood is said to have the largest open-air heroin market on the East Coast, with many neighbors migrating to the area for heroin and other opioids. Answer (1 of 3): Kensington is the dark side of Western Industrialized society. There is no hands-free zone' in the city of Philadelphia, and there never will be, says public-affairs officer Lt. Ray Evers. 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). 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. All About Max Winkler. Personal items will be held in city storage for 30 days, officials said. Weisbrod & Hess' Loading Room, Condenser & Storage/Boiler & Wash House, 2117 E. York Street (189091). You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Documentary, June 23 - YouTube The square is home to the neighborhoods library, many of whose bookkeepers regularly run out with Narcan to help prevent overdoses. 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. 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. [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. PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Multiple people were injured after a messy crash in the Kensington section of the city. That camp was cleared, and another formed. As momentum grows, more and more entrepreneurs are looking at Kensington Avenue as a viable corridor for their businesses. 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. 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 workers clear two encampments on Kensington Avenue - Inquirer.com These merchants do not need your pity, they want your business, and they deserve to be taken seriously. 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 . Kensington is not happy about being photographed - WHYY 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. This should not be ignored, and is, in fact, impossible to avoid. sekiyuji on Twitter: " Streets of The few other businesses Chinese take outs and Irish pubs have missing persons signs hung in the windows. Is the city now looking the other way when it comes to heroin users? Frankford Avenue Baptist Church, 2347-49 Frankford Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA (1889). Mattresses lie in the mud along the railway where prostitutes trick, and rapes and assaults are common. Its a place where many admit they dont want to be, but cant get away from. SBC News 188K subscribers Subscribe 5.3M views 7 months ago #SBCNews Documentary by SBC News covering Streets of. 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. Philadelphia, PA (February 26, 2023) - After noon on Sunday, February 26, a serious eight-vehicle collision with injuries took place in Philadelphia. Wednesdays encampment closure was initially postponed due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of residents. Kensington Philadelphia News - 6abc Philadelphia 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. 0:00 / 25:40 Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave, Here's What Happened Today, Saturday, Sept 11, 2021. 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. Business for Good: Kensington Avenue Storefront Challenge