Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. 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. Worse than plain heroin. There is a common criticism that officials would never let this happen in whiter, more affluent parts of the city. These 4 nieborhoods are very simialer as far as their economic situations. The help is there, but its not enough. Kensington Avenue is infamously regarded as 'the largest open-air drug market on East Coast' In 2019, the city removed four encampments in the area that was known to be frequented by drug. Called the largest open-air narcotics market on the East Coast, Kensington Avenue has, without a doubt, made a name for itself. The killer is referred to by the media as "The Kensington Strangler". 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 city sees hope in this kind of intervention. But users who buy in the Badlands come to Kensington to shoot up. A loan from a Community Development Financing Institution (CDFI) or a Storefront Improvement (SIP) or In-Store grant from the Department of Commerce carries the capacity to transform a block and breathe life into a business. The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. Who is Henry Winklers Son? Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. 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. Its central to the neighborhood and offers an ideal place to shoot up and camp out. More by Max Marin. A Google search for " Kensington Avenue Philadelphia " yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. Kensington has become a welter of crisscrossing needs and opinions, a civic puzzle no one's been able to solve. A recent piece chronicles the authors adventures day drinking in forgotten Philadelphia. Corridor vacancy, lower costs of real estate, and dedicated community groups and entrepreneurs make for an attractive location. Despite research on the positive effects of these sites, the Trump administration blocked them from being established. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story. 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. SEPTA's MarketFrankford Line runs to Center City from Kensington, offering short commute times. 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. 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). For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. Upwards of 100 people camp out there every night and its not for stargazing. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY. It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington. Sections of the neighborhood are frequented by a significant number of people experiencing drug addiction and/or homelessness. 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 The stranglers final victim, a prostitute named Casey Mahoney, was murdered here. But the Tracks, like Kensington Avenue, resemble a libertarian utopia gone wrong. Last month, the city announced plans to clear out two of the larger encampments: one just north of K&A, the other about a mile south on Lehigh Avenue. Kensington belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia. 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. In recent years, Kensington has experienced increasing social issues primarily related to drug abuse. [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. Every day Jorge Rosario, 52, a resident of the Kensington section Philadelphia cleans the sidewalk along the 2700 block of Kensington Ave., Philadelphia. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans, mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, and African Americans. 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. 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. However, heroin and fentanyl is without a doubt the most popular drugs. This street wears its heart on its sleeve, triumphs, and failures on full display. However, the drug market remained decentralized, running through small groups of dealers that were harder to prosecute than, say, a crime syndicate. Stop writing about Kensington Avenue like its Mordor. Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible tent cities that grew along a series of underpasses. 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. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. Between the two encampments targeted on Wednesday, half a dozen other spots continue to grow. McNeil Laboratories began with the purchase of a pharmacy in the area in 1879 by the company's namesake. "[12][13][14], Deindustrialization eventually took hold in the neighborhood in the 1950s, leading to a significant population loss, high unemployment, economic decline, and abandoned homes. 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. 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. The city's violent crime rate is higher than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. Everything You Wanted To Know About Los Angeles Skid Row, Everything You Wanted To Know About Los Angeles' Skid Row, Is Philadelphia Safe To Visit? 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. Answer (1 of 3): Kensington is the dark side of Western Industrialized society. Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia is infamous for drug abuse and prostitution. 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. People are scared to take the train to work. Now home to fifty-one residents, this former source of blight is transformed to a beacon of hope. There was a homeless camp set up in a railroad gulch in Kensington called El Campamento. And public homelessness ranks high on the list of concerns. City housing officials say 300; police estimated over 650 people this summer. To the east of Kensington, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond are each predominantly white neighborhoods. Crack houses and shooting galleries were raided because women could easily get raped and killed there. 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. would never let this happen in whiter, more affluent parts, New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), Phillys hot podcast studio: How two longtime producers are growing the citys audio scene, Tax cuts, a new forensic lab, library service, hotspot help: Takeaways from Mayor Kenneys final city budget proposal, Meet the 10 entrepreneurs vying set up shop inside Philly rec centers, A real art project at Quinta Brunsons former school in West Philly mirrors the Abbott Elementary Mural Arts episode, Former Councilmember Bobby Henon sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for taking bribes, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. They gotta do something about it, and this is coming from someone whos homeless living on the street., Out on the Kensington Avenue this morning, where just north of K&A homeless outreach workers and police begin to clear out yet another encampment. Kensington Avenue also benefits from the non-profit organizations operating there. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed in the United States over the last two decades, and Philadelphia is no exception. Yellowstone vs Zion: Which National Park Should I Visit? Jason Meyer watched from his wheelchair as city personnel tried to clean up the chaos near Kensington and Allegheny avenues on Wednesday morning. This summer, the Philadelphia Police Department canceled seven blocks in the area due to safety concerns. 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.