In Last Days of Lockdown 2021’s nationwide journey, Philadelphia stands out for having one of the most severe drug problems among all American cities. In Philadelphia, the cross-street intersections often identify Kensington Avenue (The Avenue). Kensington and Lehigh or Kensington and Allegheny (K & A), Kensington and Front, may mean many different things as you walk along The Avenue. Conditions were documented on The Avenue in June of 2021, which led to an open-air drug market along the street.

The Junkies were closer to Front Street, along with the methadone clinic. The Catholic Church took up a good bit of the blocks by Lehigh, along with a population of low-level sex workers; there has always been a little more activity at K & A as there was some old retail on the street and always a few pioneers. 

The Drug and Housing Crisis: How Two Problems Intersected in One Neighborhood City

Working down there in the early ’90s, we were buying homes for hundreds of dollars, putting in $60,000, and selling it for $30,000, and the people in the house next to it were walking away from their equity. Things got better, and the area was in a rebound the past ten years. A significant portion of the residents remained in poverty, and the issue of escalating drug use persisted, particularly in cities grappling with the worst drug problems, such as Kensington, Philadelphia.

The rent moratorium meant many lost their homes because they did not pay rent and could not afford to pay rent in the future. A large encampment moved into K & A. consisting of campers, disabled, and some drug addicts have resulted from the lockdown.�

Philadelphia’s Kensington Neighborhood: One of America’s Cities Worst Open-Air Drug Markets

Among the largest cities in America, Philadelphia, particularly the Kensington area, has earned notoriety for having one of the worst drug problems and has transformed into an open-air drug market where you can buy what you like and always receive threats of intimidation and violence. Shootings, on occasion, add to the dangerous element of intersections.

The encampment is having an impact on the retail industry. We saw it in Seattle during the lockdown, where an encampment closed down the entire block. Even if you could get past the tents, you still had to deal with the disaffected population and everything that goes with being around the addicted person.

If you go down to The Avenue and watch, you will see the castoffs of society living on the sidewalks and all of society’s ills on display. The drug encampments make up the common theme of The Avenue’s availability of drugs and narcotics. What needs to be reinforced to solve these issues—#1. The streets are for cars and #2. The sidewalks are for people to transverse the street. It is not a hard concept, but it fits. It would be best if you made people move.

Citizens Concerned About the Impact of Retail Businesses

When moving people was proposed, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on November 6, 2022

“Clearing one corner just pushes people to the next one over, police say, and many of those living on the street face compounding, unaddressed health and other problems.”

I laughed when I read that, as the problem is not on the corner but the entire street length. You look at a street in 100-foot intervals when place-making on the street. The interval will have to be looked at on a larger scale. Make people continue to walk. Do not allow loitering; everyone has to keep moving. What is happening on The Avenue is a long-standing problem that has only intensified. The garbage and litter are completely out of hand. You have people banging people up with some concoction on the street.   

A potential solution to combat the cities with the worst drug problems is to implement street closures. Specifically, the streets must be closed in the morning to clean up after a night on The Avenue. The littering infraction cannot control several sanitation issues. Then there is the vomit, urination, other secretions, and bodily fluids. I need to hose it down in the morning.…not too early, but maybe about 7:30 or 8 AM. That is when I used to hose down Philadelphia’s South Street before the stores opened. We are unsure how many stores are left on The Avenue, but they should have the same opportunity citywide.

Kensington Avenue Residents Concerned About the Petty Drug Crimes

The environment created in the cities with the worst drug problems is far from wholesome for the neighbors and the people on the street. It presents a significant challenge regarding the quality of life for the neighbors and the imperative need for honest and fair treatment for those who are barely clinging to existence. That said, no one wants to walk down the street and have their 8-year-old witness people banging heroin on the street.  

No one’s grandmother wants to walk down the street in fear of having her purse snatched. Conversely, no homeless person wants to fall asleep, only to be awakened by being pounded by Kensington youths.  

Medical Attention to the Side Effects of Drug Use

There needs to be some common sense applied to the situation, and the easiest thing to do is to make people move. There will be a need to establish a central intake to deal with the plethora of ill and otherwise infirmed drug users. Open wounds and disease and are the norm in these encampments. A central area would need to be established to evaluate the people needing medical or psychological help. Those seeking not to avail themselves of help will need to keep moving.

The degradation of human life is on full display as people bargain sexual favors to secure money for drugs. In public display, they were rolling around in the human waste and remnants of regurgitation from the night before to secure money to purchase drugs.