Max Marin (he/him) was Billy Penn's investigative reporter from 2018 to 2021. You cant walk down the sidewalk, he said. Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks floor seat tickets. Give your readers the whole story. On the night we visited, police cars cruised past, their lights flashing, but never stopped. [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. One such is the cluster of businesses just off the Huntingdon Market Frankford Line stop, where two of Phillys best Vietnamese restaurants, Thang Long Noodle Restaurant and Caf Pho Gha Than Than reside. Kensington development team seeks middle ground between gentrification and stagnation. Re: Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Building a Philadelphia that works for every neighborhood with a focus on equity, opportunity, efficiency, and inclusion. They're visible within seconds of exiting the subway: injections in broad daylight, tent encampments, legions of trash and squalor. Looks not far from K&A, the intersection of Kensington and Alleghany Ave. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021 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. 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). 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 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. The opioid epidemic has played a significant role in this problem, as it has in much of the rest of the country. These sites have proven to avoid overdoses and connect users to long-term help. 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. Kensington homeless encampments are set for Aug. 18 clear-out. Many [34], Kensington is home to a large population homeless individuals, many of whom suffer from addiction. This number is shockingly low compared to the overall Philadelphia average of $122,113 but is still better compared to previous years. 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. All About Max Winkler. 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. [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. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. 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. Is the city now looking the other way when it comes to heroin users? McPherson Square is the heart of Kensington. At first fentanyl was used as a cutting agent to lets dealers water down their heroin with a cheaper alternative to make more money. [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. Im out here too, and I think its fucking insanity. Kensington, colloquially known locally as Kenzo, is a neighborhood in Philadelphia that belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia. 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. 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. Forgotten by whom? 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. In the absence of a larger plan, he was certain those encampments would grow in the coming weeks. [32][failed verification] The majority of its population is Hispanic or Latino (59.9%), consisting primarily of Puerto Rican and Dominican Americans. 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. She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since. Wednesdays encampment closure was initially postponed due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of residents. Most dangerous street in PhiladelphiaKensington Philadelphia Drug \u0026 Crime ProblemsViolent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a whole is a major problem. What happened to Kensington, Philadelphia? Are most of the - Quora 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. City workers clear two encampments on Kensington Avenue - Inquirer.com [10], By the mid-19th century, Kensington became one of the leading centers of the textile industry, particularly in carpet. The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. 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. More by Max Marin. [5] The current greater Kensington area roughly coincides with the former Kensington District, Richmond District, Aramingo Borough, and Northern Liberties Township. These are bakeries, daycares, artist spaces, and coffee roasters; businesses selected to draw foot traffic and fill much-needed service gaps. 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. City housing officials say 300; police estimated over 650 people this summer. 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. But the Tracks, like Kensington Avenue, resemble a libertarian utopia gone wrong. Kensington was originally a blue collar neighborhood that thrived on the factories built there. Kensington has traditionally been known as one of the working class centers of Philadelphia. Different tactics are required for each site, depending on whether its public or private property, he said. In 1903 Mother Jones organized a "Children's Crusade" of children from the local mills and mines to protest against child labor. 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. "Violent crime and drug abuse in Philadelphia as a . A rail-thin woman with hollowed-out cheeks rushed from beneath the El tracks. 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. The City of Philadelphia, Police and social services are along Kensington Avenue near Willard Street on Wednesday morning August 18, 2021, clearing the streets of homeless in the center of the opioid epidemic in the city. There was a homeless camp set up in a railroad gulch in Kensington called El Campamento. [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. Read more ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer by Alfred Lubrano Published Aug 5, 2021 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). Underpass: Drug Stories from Kensington, Philadelphia - LensCulture [52], The neighborhood has gained nationwide attention and great notoriety because of extensive press coverage of its thriving narcotics drug scene, often described as the largest on the east coast. For too long, Kensington residents have resorted to other neighborhoods to shop. 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. Addicts can be found in the woods along the Tracks openly cooking and shooting drugs in broad daylight, a daily occurrence that indicates this is territory clearly forsaken by the law. 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. The super brief history is Kensington was a thriving industrial area of factory workers until deindustrialization happened which left the neighborhood impoverished and jobless. The Avenue runs 3 miles through what is now a dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhood. If BP helped inform you, join as a member today! Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? They tried to institute safe-injection sites, where users can shoot up without fear of prosecution. 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. People are hanging out everywhere, turning tricks and working petty hustles. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, What happened today, Aug, 2021. The cap will be home to nearly 12 acres of parkland and seamlessly connect Old City to the Delaware River waterfront at Penns Landing. This should not be ignored, and is, in fact, impossible to avoid. 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. A textile factory will feature apartments and commercial space. The dualities are stark; Kensington is still an avenue of pain and trauma, ground zero for the opioid crisis, prostitution, and poverty. Eight months after Kensington's disaster declaration, progress is It happened just after 12 p.m. Sunday on the 3300 block of Kensington. Clifton Mills, 1833 N. Howard Street, Kensington (185263). 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 . Though Kensington addicts seem to think so, the police department pushed back forcefully against this notion. Harrowgate is the furthest north, bordering Juniata and named for Harrowgate Park. Streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Ave. Story. Construction has started on Penns Landing park over I-95 highway trench. [10] Initially, employment focused around the nearby waterfront and the activities of fishermen and ship- and boatbuilders. The Columbia Works, 155-59 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Kensington, Philadelphia, PA. Look, he says, junkies got rights, too. 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.. 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. Video captures violent Philadelphia carjacking on Kensington Avenue; 2 What sort of reprieve Wednesdays action will offer neighbors and business owners remains unclear. Philadelphia Kensington Avenue, What happened on Monday, June 28 2021. 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. Addicts say. [7] Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. 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. But despite its joys, a neighborhood called Kensington made a name for itself as home to the nation's highest rates of heroin overdoses. 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. Some, such as the second location for the Baltimore Avenue-based Vientiane Cafe, are just getting started. [33] Such a phenomenon is happening across Kensington, causing long-term residents to be priced out. 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? However, sensationalizing poverty, fetishizing small businesses, and minimizing the collective efforts of a community on the rise are the cheap tactics of bad journalists. According to Philadelphia Police, the accident happened at 3300 Kensington Avenue in the Kensington section of Philly. 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. Adjacent neighborhoods are Northern Liberties (ZIP code 19123), Fishtown and Olde Richmond (ZIP code 19125), Port Richmond (ZIP code 19134). The median yearly income of the neighborhood is $28,368, ranging from $18,516 to $77,979. NKCDC is working on the redevelopment of the Orinoka Civic House. Many now-users originally sought out street drugs due to injuries or post-surgery pains and couldnt afford the legal medicines to soothe their pain. Overnight, people are getting stabbed. Speaking as someone coming from this field, it can be unforgiving and thirsty work, defined by small victories and glorious defeats. Parts of it were once called the 'Badlands' and it is hell on earth. A 25-year-old woman was shot once in her left leg. Of the non-Hispanic or Latino population, 19% is White, 15.1% is Black or African American, 3.6% is Asian, and 2.2% identify as two or more races. He once lived in the infamous Emerald Street encampment in Kensington, and saw how its closure in 2019 just shuffled people to other areas. At A and Indiana, an anxious crowd gathered, their eyes filled with the weary desperation that is so emblematic of addiction. Official estimates vary as to how many people are living on Kensingtons streets. Two emergency shelters closed along Kensington Avenue within the last year. Prevention Point Philadelphia, a public health organization providing harm reduction services to Philadelphia and surrounding areas. This isnt a Kensington problem, he said. Youre out there talking to junkies with a couple ounces of drugs in them who cant be trusted to make a lucid statement..