A new bill would impose curfews on some businesses in Kensington’s open-air drug market, as addiction and crime run rampant in the Philadelphia neighborhood.
City Councilman Quetcy Lozada on Thursday introduced a bill requiring some commercial establishments and restaurants to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. if they are located within a specific area of the Kensington neighborhood, including the infamous Kensington Avenue.
The proposal is one of the latest to address problems in Kensington, an area that has become the epicenter of the city’s drug crisis.
“To address the crisis in Kensington, we need to better understand who is there and what is happening,” Lozada, whose district includes Kensington, said in a news release.
Kensington, known internationally for its excessive public drug use, is among the Philadelphia areas hardest hit by overdose deaths, according to data from the city’s health department.
More than 1,400 people citywide died from drug overdoses in 2022, an 11% increase from the previous record the previous year.
On any given day, drug users can be seen strewn across the sidewalks, injecting themselves with needles while blood runs down their arms.
Others stumble down Kensington Avenue in a stupor or pass out on the sidewalk with fleas covering their gruesome flesh-eating wounds caused by the addictive animal tranquilizer, xylazine.
A homeless encampment, occupied mostly by drug users, sits on Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia on November 23, 2023. Stephen Yang Jillian and Mike use opioids on a corner of Kensington Avenue in November 2023. Stephen Yang
The neighborhood has also become a focal point of high crime and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Kensington had one of the worst rates of violent and drug-related crime in the entire city during a 30-day period ending Jan. 26, according to data compiled by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I want to strongly congratulate Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada on her legislation, and we look forward to working with her as these bills move through the Council’s legislative process,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement Thursday. “The purpose of the legislation introduced is to address the types of social ills (open-air drug markets, illegal drug activity, nuisance businesses) that erode the quality of life in our city neighborhoods, including Kensington.”
Lozada’s legislation follows the executive order Parker signed on Jan. 2, the Democrat’s first law in office, declaring a public safety emergency to stop the rampant crime and excessive drug addiction plaguing neighborhoods in the city.
The neighborhood has also become a focal point of high crime and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Kensington had one of the worst rates of violent and drug-related crime in the entire city during a 30-day period ending January 26. Stephen Yang Kensington, known internationally for his excessive public drug use, is among the Philadelphia areas hardest hit by overdose deaths, according to the city’s Health Department. department data. Stephen Yang
He also tasked Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and city partners with developing strategies to dismantle open-air drug markets, like Kensington, as part of his “100 Day Action Plan.”
Additionally, Bethel swore in Deputy Commissioner Pedro Rosario on January 11 to lead the Philadelphia Police Department’s public safety focus in Kensington.
“For too long, Kensington has borne the scars of drugs and blight,” Bethel said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to turn the tide, and to lead this effort, I am pleased to announce the creation of a new position within the department: Deputy Commissioner of the Kensington Initiative.”
City Councilman Quetcy Lozada on Thursday introduced a bill requiring some businesses and restaurants to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. if they are within a specific area of the Kensington neighborhood. Stephen Yang
Lozada’s bill was part of a package of legislation that would also require quarterly reports from the Parker administration on how often city first responders use an opioid antidote and whether an individual is treated more than once in a 30-day period, according to a news release. release.
Another bill would request data on the number of illegal encampments throughout the city.
“During our first weeks in office, I have made it clear: the rampant illegal drug activity and other disruptions to the quality of life taking place in Kensington will not be tolerated by the Parker administration,” the mayor said in a statement. “And we look forward to working with our strong partners on the City Council, including Councilmember Lozada, on this important legislation.”
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