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. Worse, still, are the articles characterizing this commercial corridor as an adventurous destination for the open-minded shopper. Harrowgate is the furthest north, bordering Juniata and named for Harrowgate Park. Parts of it were once called the 'Badlands' and it is hell on earth. You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. These 4 nieborhoods are very simialer as far as their economic situations. Kensington: Past, Present and Future Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes not that were counting. Multiple people injured after a messy crash in Kensington - 6abc Palmer was an English merchant who came to Philadelphia by 1704 from Barbados. As momentum grows, more and more entrepreneurs are looking at Kensington Avenue as a viable corridor for their businesses. People are hanging out everywhere, turning tricks and working petty hustles. Its an environment, they say, that is more tolerant of drug use than ever. Some, such as the second location for the Baltimore Avenue-based Vientiane Cafe, are just getting started. Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia is infamous for drug abuse and prostitution. Now home to fifty-one residents, this former source of blight is transformed to a beacon of hope. 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. This is a regional problem that Kensington is very graciously dealing with., Nice to see you. Stop talking about Kensington Avenue like it's a wasteland The city has a higher rate of violent crime than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. (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? Drug activity is not hidden here, especially not when heroin can go for as cheap as $5 a bag. 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 . Max Marin (he/him) was Billy Penn's investigative reporter from 2018 to 2021. Probably for. 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. In recent years, Kensington has experienced increasing social issues primarily related to drug abuse. City workers clear two encampments on Kensington Avenue - Inquirer.com These sites have proven to avoid overdoses and connect users to long-term help. Multiple people were injured after a messy crash in the Kensington section of the city. Kensington has several medium and small sized parks and playgrounds which offer a variety of uses for visitors. 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 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. 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. [32], Kensington's high percentage of low income renters puts its residents at risk of displacement from gentrification. Called the largest open-air narcotics market on the East Coast, Kensington Avenue has, without a doubt, made a name for itself. They have attempted to clean up the neighborhoods, planting trees and replacing broken street lights. 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. [10] Initially, employment focused around the nearby waterfront and the activities of fishermen and ship- and boatbuilders. On January 4, 2016, Jim Kenney was sworn in as the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia. Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue . 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. This is probably one of the most drug infested streets in Philadelphia. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans, mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, and African Americans. PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are searching for two suspects who are wanted in connection with a violent carjacking earlier this week. Commercial revitalization in the form of businesses a community has use for is a powerful weapon. Upwards of 100 people camp out there every night and its not for stargazing. [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. Story. No one denies this. Johnson knowseven with a colorful awning and bright lightingher cafe might not get a lot of consumer street traffic. During the hunt for the strangler, the area was flooded with cops. This energy is not relegated to existing businesses. The city has a higher rate of violent crime than the national average and other similarly sized metropolitan areas. Postal Service designates Kensington as ZIP codes 19125 (Kensington Station). Overnight, people are getting stabbed. 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. It is craft fully omitted, in lieu of the salacious and the tragic. Max Winkler is an American director, writer and producer and is also the son of legendary actor Henry Winker. The area is known as the center of Kensington and was historically the commercial center of the neighborhood. While the moniker Killadelphia implies gangland warfare, Kensington is plagued by another culprit: the drug trade. For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. In Kensington, drugs and violence complicate summer play - WHYY 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. 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. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. Sections of the neighborhood are frequented by a significant number of people experiencing drug addiction and/or homelessness. The storefront challenge is a proactive answer to the inequity created by corridor vacancy. 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. Local news should be free and accessible, which is why we ask readers like you to support our work rather than charging a fee to see it. However, sensationalizing poverty, fetishizing small businesses, and minimizing the collective efforts of a community on the rise are the cheap tactics of bad journalists. Kensington was originally a blue collar neighborhood that thrived on the factories built there. [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 train starts at Bridge st. From Frankford , Juanita, Kensington and Fishtown. Sign up for the free Billy Penn newsletter and stay in the know. In 1903 Mother Jones organized a "Children's Crusade" of children from the local mills and mines to protest against child labor. Clifton Mills, Building 4, 1809-11 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). Subs are Suboxone, a pill containing buprenophine, a drug that eases the pain of heroin withdrawal. In the absence of a larger plan, he was certain those encampments would grow in the coming weeks. [4] It was also the birthplace of the K&A Gang, currently known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mob, an Irish American organized crime network. There is a common criticism that officials would never let this happen in whiter, more affluent parts of the city. Kensington residents ask: 'Why would you think this is acceptable for It happened shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday in the area of Fairhill Square Park at 4th Street and Lehigh Avenue. 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. Police said the victim is a 43-year-old man, who was stabbed multiple times. Natalie Raitano is a fitness instructor and former actress who is most famously known for her role on the show V.I.P. Persuading the federal government to change its prohibition stance will prove difficult, considering how fiercely divisive the issue is among law enforcement. Once it hit rock bottom, the need for an outlet brought more people in. 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. Two men nodded in a drug-addled stupor on a sidewalk on Kensington Avenue. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. This lack of message parity is harmful to the corridor. Commissioner [Charles] Ramsey does not support it; no one in this department does. Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible tent cities that grew along a series of underpasses. [7] Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. "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 . Addictions a medical problem; cops dont want to deal with that. Afaik other neighborhoods declined with crack, but Kensington was notable for pills and opiates. SBC News 188K subscribers Subscribe 10K 1.4M views 1 year ago #SBCNews. 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. 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. 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 . Even Dr. Oz took the time to show us a Kensington Avenue as a "hellscape." He also sold to recent German fishermen immigrants. Impact Services and NKCDC collaborate with the shared goal to better the avenue that cuts through multiple neighborhoods. Tony Rogers, a recovered heroin addict and reformed career criminal who warmly calls the motley crowds on Kensington Avenue my old tribe, says, In 20 years of using back here, I never once saw a cop come on the Tracks unless they chased somebody in here.. You have to do [legalization] right if youre going to do it, otherwise you create more problems, says Franklin of LEAP. However, heroin and fentanyl is without a doubt the most popular drugs. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Despite lobbying council members and state representatives, no change has been made. But despite its joys, a neighborhood called Kensington made a name for itself as home to the nation's highest rates of heroin overdoses. (Instead of a paywall). [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. 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. It is my sincere hope and belief that Kensington is arming itself against the forces of apathetic, tone-deaf gentrification. Through it all, I consistently found myself impressed in awe of the merchants on Kensington Avenue and hopeful for their entrepreneurial futures. Kensington was the birthplace of the K&A Gang, an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s. Over time black and Hispanic street dealers took over larger portions of the drug trade, especially heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine. Yet the city has promised zero tolerance for encampments before, and the crackdowns have not yielded a long term solution. There have been many petitions by residents to take care of Kensington. 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. Kensington Hospital for Women, 128-40 Diamond Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA. Peter Woll & Sons, Curled Hair & Bristles, 173 W. Berks Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA. Second Associate Presbyterian Church, 1523-25 N. Front Street, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA (185254). 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. Kensington has always been a rough area since before the 70s. Parents will walk their children to the bus stop, even if it can be seen from their front door, and wait there with them until the bus comes. Things just got worse, and more violent, the more we arrested people.. Yellowstone vs Zion: Which National Park Should I Visit? Addicts say. Even Dr. Oz took the time to show us a Kensington Avenue as a hellscape. These articles tell an intentional narrative, one which has no room for hope. [57] Rodriguez confessed to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison in 2012. Official estimates vary as to how many people are living on Kensingtons streets. 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. Users flock to the scene. And public homelessness ranks high on the list of concerns. 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. Addicts say the police came down hard on indoor drug establishments. They draw a diverse crowd: tight-pantsed hipsters and long-time residents alike enjoy the delicious food in equal measure. A rail-thin woman with hollowed-out cheeks rushed from beneath the El tracks. "The blocks [where drug dealing takes place] never closed," said Christine Russo, 38, who's been using heroin for seven years. Philadelphias District Attorney Seth Williams risked backlash from hardcore law-and-order types when he recently stopped criminally prosecuting minor marijuana offenses. We talk about our favorite travels in Europe, as well as travel anywhere in the U.S. and the rest of the world. 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. 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. 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. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021 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. Why is there so many trash on the streets of Kensington Avenue - Quora Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. 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. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you . Nine years later and were still talking about it. 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. 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. 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? At least four hurt in eight-vehicle pileup on Kensington Avenue in Emerald Street, Tulip Street, Kensington Avenue, Frankford Avenue the city shut them down one by one, vowing improvement at every step of the way. 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. He once lived in the infamous Emerald Street encampment in Kensington, and saw how its closure in 2019 just shuffled people to other areas. 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. 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. Crack, meth, heroin, oxycodone, weed, percocet, PCP these are all the usual suspects around Kensington Ave. This number is shockingly low compared to the overall Philadelphia average of $122,113 but is still better compared to previous years. 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.