But this is an ongoing process. She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. 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. But Meyer, a 35-year-old whos spent years bounding between rehab and the streets as he battles his addiction, said it felt like deja vu. Subs are Suboxone, a pill containing buprenophine, a drug that eases the pain of heroin withdrawal. 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. 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. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. Kensington's Recovery Plan - The Philadelphia Citizen At stake in all this, is the soul of a place where Philadelphians have made a living, shopped and socialized for generations. The conflict between clean residents and dealers can escalate, sometimes so high that a person once threw a Molotov cocktail through a residents window. Nobody rousts or arrests the line of addicts nodded out in full view in the gutter. As of right now, I dont think anyone is confident that theres any sort of larger plan that can account for each person.. Max Winkler is an American director, writer and producer and is also the son of legendary actor Henry Winker. Theres gotta be somewhere you could put your tent, a park, an area, some sort of designated spot, Meyer said. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. They have attempted to clean up the neighborhoods, planting trees and replacing broken street lights. Compared to the infamous Skid Row in Los Angeles, Kensingtons homeless problem doesnt seem as bad. 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. 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. This number is shockingly low compared to the overall Philadelphia average of $122,113 but is still better compared to previous years. 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). Is the city now looking the other way when it comes to heroin users? As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time. They eventually set up a new encampment under another railway bridge nearby. In-depth, original reporting on housing, transportation, and development. History set Kensington up for a steady decline. The most conservative boundaries of the neighborhood, shown in the map below, are Front Street and 5th Street to the west, the Amtrak train tracks to the North, Trenton Avenue, the Trenton Avenue train tracks, and Frankford Avenue to the east, and Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the south. Some people cleared from the street sought out permanent housing or treatment, he said but most of the population wouldnt leave an area where they had easy access to drugs. Each program mixes interviews with guest travel experts, your call-ins with questions and comments, and music. Even the pandemic doesn't slow down Philadelphia's drug markets 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. 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. 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 . The United States Post Office operates the Kensington Post Office at 1602 Frankford Ave.[47] The U.S. The increase in violent crime, homelessness, and out-of-control drug use in Kensington are far greater threats to residents of Philadelphia. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave Story, Here's What Happened Today, Tuesday, Sept 7, 20 . The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. 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. Heriza became interested in Kensington after seeing a 2018 article in the New York Times magazine about the drug epidemic in the neighborhood. The drug overdose rate in Philadelphia is also concerning. The number of drug overdose deaths in the city . Eyes on the Street brings new ideas and fresh voices into the conversation about Philadelphias changing cityscape. The government has shown attempts at trying. [5] The current greater Kensington area roughly coincides with the former Kensington District, Richmond District, Aramingo Borough, and Northern Liberties Township. Philadelphia's Kensington Avenue: Heroin, Prostitution, and No Police Gun shots are heard at night. [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]. 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. A "person of interest" in the case, Antonio Rodriguez, was arrested in January 2011. 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. We talk about our favorite travels in Europe, as well as travel anywhere in the U.S. and the rest of the world. The number of drug overdose . Not everyone who takes advantage of the trade on Kensington Ave lives nearby, though. Weisbrod & Hess' Loading Room, Condenser & Storage/Boiler & Wash House, 2117 E. York Street (189091). Franklin oversaw narcotics operations around Baltimore for much of his 34 years in law enforcement and knows well the futility of locking up addicts en masse. These territorial disputes happen in clear daylight, theres no concern for the repercussions. 550 Kensington Philadelphia Premium High Res Photos NKCDC is working on the redevelopment of the Orinoka Civic House. 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. Since Mayor Jim Kenney took office in 2015, encampment closures in the name of public health and safety have been a near constant in Kensington. It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington Avenue. Opioid abuse has skyrocketed over the last two decades in the United States and Philadelphia is no exception. They draw a diverse crowd: tight-pantsed hipsters and long-time residents alike enjoy the delicious food in equal measure. Knowing Kensington Avenue like I do, I am distressed by its predominantly negative and fetishized depiction in the media. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened.. 14 19 . 4 2023 , ! A former bank will become a commercial kitchen and event space. [32], Kensington's high percentage of low income renters puts its residents at risk of displacement from gentrification. He once lived in the infamous Emerald Street encampment in Kensington, and saw how its closure in 2019 just shuffled people to other areas. 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. Postal Service designates Kensington as ZIP codes 19125 (Kensington Station). Jackie is missing. In Philly, Will More Police Officers Reduce Gun Violence? Strong community groups and nonprofits in Kensington have used the neighborhood's empty lots as an opportunity to create community garden spaces. Nine years later and were still talking about it. 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. The generally accepted boundaries of the neighborhood[citation needed] are Front Street and 5th Street to the West, the Amtrak train tracks to the North, Trenton Avenue, the Trenton Avenue train tracks, and Frankford Avenue to the East, and Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the South. "You can't buy, use, and recover in the same neighborhood," Bingham said. At 4 p.m. on January 15, police found Jevon Gillette, 47, with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and thigh. 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 . This area is the aortic valve of the regions opioid crisis, where an estimated billion dollar drug trade draws thousands from all over the region into the post-industrial neighborhood. Kensington Blues is a photography series by Jeffrey Stockbridge, 36, that documented the struggles and the dark reality of local residents. The drugs are just too cheap and too accessible. Now home to fifty-one residents, this former source of blight is transformed to a beacon of hope. Kensington is not happy about being photographed - WHYY 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. From there, drug dens sprung up across the neighborhood and allowed for gangs to breed in the area. 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. 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. Commercial revitalization in the form of businesses a community has use for is a powerful weapon. The whole city, its always a battle for space, and any open space is going to get filled., Love Philly? [32][failed verification] The majority of its population is Hispanic or Latino (59.9%), consisting primarily of Puerto Rican and Dominican Americans. The city of Philadelphia has set a deadline of Aug. 18 for encampments of people living homeless on the sidewalks of Kensington to be cleared. Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. [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. The situation toward Allegheny Avenue grew even more intense after SEPTA briefly closed the Somerset El stop in January. What sort of reprieve Wednesdays action will offer neighbors and business owners remains unclear. But despite its joys, a neighborhood called Kensington made a name for itself as home to the nation's highest rates of heroin overdoses. Its central to the neighborhood and offers an ideal place to shoot up and camp out. 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 Documentary, June 23 - YouTube Its so well known that a simple Google search for really bad drug areas brings it up. In recent years, Kensington has experienced increasing social issues primarily related to drug abuse. 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. This should not be ignored, and is, in fact, impossible to avoid. Upwards of 100 people camp out there every night and its not for stargazing. 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. They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York, carrying banners demanding, "We want to go to School and not the mines! Over the next two years, the city closed down four highly visible tent cities that grew along a series of underpasses. Drug activity is not hidden here, especially not when heroin can go for as cheap as $5 a bag. This is Kensington Ave my friend. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story 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. Johnson knowseven with a colorful awning and bright lightingher cafe might not get a lot of consumer street traffic. kensington ave philadelphia - summer daytime compilation GDPGDP Dozens upon dozens of people lived there. A Google search for Kensington Avenue Philadelphia yields horrendous images of sad-eyed people slumped over in varying poses of despair. 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. Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia is infamous for drug abuse and prostitution. Kensington was originally a blue collar neighborhood that thrived on the factories built there. You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. Dealers stand out in the open, hawking their wares. Construction is slated to start this week on Arguto Court, an adaptive reuse project featuring office space and a cafe. Look, he says, junkies got rights, too. This energy is not relegated to existing businesses. 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. 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. Despite research on the positive effects of these sites, the Trump administration blocked them from being established. 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. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. The storefront challenge is a proactive answer to the inequity created by corridor vacancy. MeekMill on Twitter: "Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What 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. Driven by a resident engagement process, this is a best practices model for how to equitably manage what could be a tidal wave of gentrification as Philadelphians continue to discover the under-the-radar appeal of the area. Through it all, I consistently found myself impressed in awe of the merchants on Kensington Avenue and hopeful for their entrepreneurial futures. This is a regional problem that Kensington is very graciously dealing with., Nice to see you. A recent piece chronicles the authors adventures day drinking in forgotten Philadelphia. Multiple people injured after a messy crash in Kensington - 6abc 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. It happened Monday around 10:40 p.m. on the. 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. 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.