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. A quick search brings up a plethora of articles outlining the ongoing issues Kensington faces, the overdose rates and weekly deaths. 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. This should not be ignored, and is, in fact, impossible to avoid. [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. Kensington's river ward identity puts it in contrast with the neighborhoods to its west. 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. Well probably have a detail stationed [there], Alexander said. Nine years later and were still talking about it. It is this sort of activism, buoyed by engaged (and zoning savvy!) 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. Commissioner [Charles] Ramsey does not support it; no one in this department does. Re: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Building a Philadelphia that works for every neighborhood with a focus on equity, opportunity, efficiency, and inclusion. The United States Post Office operates the Kensington Post Office at 1602 Frankford Ave.[47] The U.S. 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. Neighborhood residents have raged against City Hall for years over the litany of woes from drug dealing to missed trash collection. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. [36] The closure, which happened without consulting with residents and lacked advanced notice,[37] was ostensibly to repair elevators that had been damaged by human waste and trash and concerns about safety for workers. When we can make the right connection for people, its really successful, Gladstein said. Gun shots are heard at night. 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. Each program mixes interviews with guest travel experts, your call-ins with questions and comments, and music. 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. They eventually set up a new encampment under another railway bridge nearby. The case was dropped in July. They tried to institute safe-injection sites, where users can shoot up without fear of prosecution. The number of drug overdose . However, fentanyl has replaced heroin completely and it is rare that you find anyone using pure heroin in Kensington. Kensington was originally a blue collar neighborhood that thrived on the factories built there. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. ", "Philly, Conrail near deal on cleanup of Kensington drug encampment", "Mother Jones leading a protest, circa 1903", "Today in labor history: Mother Jones leads march of miners' children", "Kensington: A Lot Of Heart Has Gone Into Revitalizing A Community", "Kensington: Rise and Fall of the Housing Market", "Kensington: Artists Make New Homes Amongst Longtime Residents", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Clifton Mills, 1833 N. Howard Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Clifton Mills, 1809-11 N. Howard Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: The Columbia Works, 155-59 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: The Decorating Plant of Gillinder & Sons' Franklin Flint Glass Works, 1700-06 N. Howard Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Frankford Avenue Baptist Church, 2437-49 Frankford Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Kensington's historic milk bottle flashing refurbished look", "Kensington's giant milk bottle gets historic designation", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Kensington Hospital for Women, 128-40 Diamond Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Peter Woll & Sons, Curled Hair & Bristles, 173 W. Berks Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places: Second Associate Presbyterian Church, 1527 N. Front Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: The Star Carpet Mills, 1801-03 N. Howard Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Weisbrod & Hess' Loading Room, Condenser & Storage/Boiler & Wash House, 2117 E. York Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA", "Gentrification disproportionately affects minorities", "How Fishtown, Philadelphia Became America's Hottest New Neighborhood", "Philly residents in areas affected by overdoses want a say in talks over a supervised injection site", "SEPTA To Indefinitely Close Somerset Station In Kensington To Develop Safety & Security Strategy, Repairs", "Kensington protests closing of SEPTA's Somerset El station, a lifeline for a battered neighborhood", "SEPTA closing Somerset Station temporarily to fix elevators, confront safety concerns", "SEPTA to Reopen Somerset Station on Monday, April 5 | SEPTA", "Safehouse drops South Philly plans, looks to Kensington after judge suspends launch", "Safehouse vows to take more community input on supervised injection site plans", "Kensington neighbors dismayed by ruling on supervised injection site", "Who We Are - NKCDC - Community development should benefit residents", "Three Catholic schools closing in Bucks County", "As the pandemic surges, 'no one deserves what's brewing in Kensington. 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. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened.. 14 19 . 4 2023 , ! Jackie is missing. 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. 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. 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 . They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York, carrying banners demanding, "We want to go to School and not the mines! On March 21, 2021, SEPTA indefinitely closed the Somerset Station of the Market-Frankford Line (MFL). 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. It is part of the River Wards section of the city, a group of neighborhoods close to the Delaware River in North Philadelphia. [57] Rodriguez confessed to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison in 2012. As of right now, I dont think anyone is confident that theres any sort of larger plan that can account for each person.. Last year alone, Kensington Avenue was approved for over ten SIP grants to renovate commercial facades, which, when complete, will literally change the face of the corridor. Then enter opiates. Welcome Van Life Wanderer! Speaking as someone coming from this field, it can be unforgiving and thirsty work, defined by small victories and glorious defeats. 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. And public homelessness ranks high on the list of concerns. 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. WHYY provides trustworthy, fact-based, local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community. The Columbia Works, 155-59 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA. The New Kensington Community Development Corporation, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. Words such hopeless and dystopian punctuate an endless scrawl of depressing articles. The number of drug overdose deaths in the city increased by 50% from 2013 to 2015, with more than twice as many deaths from drug overdoses as deaths from homicides in 2015.2 A big part of Philadelphias problems stem from the crime rate and drug abuse in Kensington. They declared a statewide disaster over the drug epidemic in 2017. 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. Police said the victim is a 43-year-old man, who was stabbed multiple times. 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. McKinney says the city could use regional support in creating a long-term solution for Kensington. [7] Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. On the night we visited, police cars cruised past, their lights flashing, but never stopped. For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. This lack of message parity is harmful to the corridor. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. 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. "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 . Drug activity is not hidden here, especially not when heroin can go for as cheap as $5 a bag. Knowing Kensington Avenue like I do, I am distressed by its predominantly negative and fetishized depiction in the media. Kensington was the birthplace of the K&A Gang, an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s. Kensington development team seeks middle ground between gentrification and stagnation. It happened Monday around 10:40 p.m. on the. Even Dr. Oz took the time to show us a Kensington Avenue as a "hellscape." The Star Carpet Mills, 1801-03 N. Howard Street, Kensington (188082). He also sold to recent German fishermen immigrants. Disinvestment and general neglect has led to high abandonment in some sections of the neighborhood, catalyzing several grassroots actions from its residents. [37] The station was reopened on April 5 with increased police presence. Within Kensington, various sub-neighborhoods including Kensington (the Heart of Kensington), Harrowgate, Lower Kensington, West Kensington. [41] However, some residents and many harm reduction advocates in the area are supportive.[35][42]. Kensington has several medium and small sized parks and playgrounds which offer a variety of uses for visitors. pic.twitter.com/yXU3zfzpGp. Multiple people were injured after a messy crash in the Kensington section of the city. It was a scene that rivaled the aftermath of a storm, its victims caught up in forces that leave many hungry, homeless and hopeless. 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. kensington ave philadelphia - summer daytime compilation GDPGDP There are real, endemic issues at play on 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. A "person of interest" in the case, Antonio Rodriguez, was arrested in January 2011. (2021 Crime Rates And Crime Stats), Is Pittsburgh Safe To Visit? The square is home to the neighborhoods library, many of whose bookkeepers regularly run out with Narcan to help prevent overdoses. This is probably one of the most drug infested streets in Philadelphia. Documentary by SBC News covering Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave.Philadelphia's most dangerous street.Problems with Drugs and Crime in Kensington Ave, PhiladelphiaIn Philadelphia as a whole, violent crime and drug abuse are major issues. These self-described low-bottom dope fiends havent bathed recently, and many have been running and gunning around the clock for days, selling needles and prescription pills, or prostituting on the Avenue to hustle up enough money for another bag of heroin. A former bank will become a commercial kitchen and event space. Different tactics are required for each site, depending on whether its public or private property, he said. Commercial revitalization in the form of businesses a community has use for is a powerful weapon. Ironically, even some addicts on Kensington Avenue dont believe in legalization. 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. 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. More recently fentanyl is being replaced with an animal tranquilizer called Xylazine or Tranq. 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. However, heroin and fentanyl is without a doubt the most popular drugs. Please give today. . 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Kensington has become a welter of crisscrossing needs and opinions, a civic puzzle no one's been able to solve. Kensington has always been a rough area since before the 70s. He adds that the department does the best it can to guarantee public safety and stop drug use with the resources it has, but that it cant lock up people without good reason. During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. 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. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? These 4 nieborhoods are very simialer as far as their economic situations. Parts of it were once called the 'Badlands' and it is hell on earth. But a day later, and not far away, on the 1700 block of West Atlantic Street in North Philly, there was bloodshed and death. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. Sections of the neighborhood are frequented by a significant number of people experiencing drug addiction and/or homelessness. 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. Weisbrod & Hess' Loading Room, Condenser & Storage/Boiler & Wash House, 2117 E. York Street (189091). All About Max Winkler. It is my sincere hope and belief that Kensington is arming itself against the forces of apathetic, tone-deaf gentrification. 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. Forgotten by whom? 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. The super brief history is Kensington was a thriving industrial area of factory workers until deindustrialization happened which left the neighborhood impoverished and jobless. Users flock to the scene. In his first budget, the Mayor worked closely with City Council to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives. 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. The number of drug overdose deaths in the city increased by 50% from 2013 to 2015, with more than twice as many deaths from drug overdoses as deaths from homicides in 2015.2 A big part of Philadelphias problems stem from the crime rate and drug abuse in Kensington. 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. There was a homeless camp set up in a railroad gulch in Kensington called El Campamento. Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans, mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, and African Americans. [55] It is also known as an area of prostitution. 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. Soon, thanks to this effort and efforts like it, they wont have to. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. The problem is that Kensington Avenue is largely unseen by Philadelphians. 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. All About Max Winkler. Many progressives endorse the idea of allowing addicts to get high in certain sections of cities without fear of arrest. At A and Indiana, an anxious crowd gathered, their eyes filled with the weary desperation that is so emblematic of addiction. This is Kensington Ave my friend. Look, he says, junkies got rights, too. Harbisons' Dairies, 2041-55 Coral Street (1895). Kensington and Cambria. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Afaik other neighborhoods declined with crack, but Kensington was notable for pills and opiates. This street wears its heart on its sleeve, triumphs, and failures on full display. 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. Every day Jorge Rosario, 52, a resident of the Kensington section Philadelphia cleans the sidewalk along the 2700 block of Kensington Ave., Philadelphia. The Decorating Plant of Gillinder & Sons' Franklin Flint Glass Works, 1700-06 N. Howard Street (1876). Groups of Irish Americans, Polish Americans, and Asian Americans also make up the neighborhood. 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. These are bakeries, daycares, artist spaces, and coffee roasters; businesses selected to draw foot traffic and fill much-needed service gaps. In the absence of a larger plan, he was certain those encampments would grow in the coming weeks. 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.. As it is just north of Fishtown, higher income residents have been moving further up, increasing property values and rents. They're visible within seconds of exiting the subway: injections in broad daylight, tent encampments, legions of trash and squalor. This train starts at Bridge st. From Frankford , Juanita, Kensington and Fishtown. Some, such as the second location for the Baltimore Avenue-based Vientiane Cafe, are just getting started. 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. Kensington has traditionally been known as one of the working class centers of Philadelphia. 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. A Google search for Kensington Avenue Philadelphia yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. According to police, the man was transported to Temple. This isnt a Kensington problem, he said. As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time. 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. Whos got works? she calls out to nobody in particular. The help is there, but its not enough. 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. [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. However, sensationalizing poverty, fetishizing small businesses, and minimizing the collective efforts of a community on the rise are the cheap tactics of bad journalists. Addicts say the police came down hard on indoor drug establishments. [34], Kensington is home to a large population homeless individuals, many of whom suffer from addiction. Gladstein acknowledged the problem is too vast to contain with just targeted actions like the one Wednesday morning. They were en route to more serious crimes going down to the west in the Badlands. 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. link to Whatever Happened To Natalie Raitano. 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. [32][failed verification] The majority of its population is Hispanic or Latino (59.9%), consisting primarily of Puerto Rican and Dominican Americans. Construction has started on Penns Landing park over I-95 highway trench. The camp was cleared, the people chose new spots in the neighborhood to overrun with used needles, overdoses, and trash. Subs are Suboxone, a pill containing buprenophine, a drug that eases the pain of heroin withdrawal. 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. 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 situation feels like its at a breaking point for some. 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.