A new bill would impose a curfew on several businesses in Kensington’s open-air drug market as addiction and crime run rampant in the Philadelphia neighborhood.
City Councilor Quetcy Lozada introduced a bill on Thursday that would require some commercial establishments and restaurants to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. if they are within certain areas of the Kensington neighborhood, including the famous Kensington Avenue.
The proposal is one of the latest to tackle the issue in Kensington, an area at the center of the city’s drug crisis.
“To address the crisis in Kensington, we need a better understanding of who is there and what is going on,” Lozada, whose district includes Kensington, said in a press release.
Kensington, internationally known for its high levels of public drug use, is among the areas of Philadelphia hardest hit by overdose deaths, according to city health department data.
More than 1,400 people across the city died of drug overdoses in 2022, an 11% increase since the previous record high the previous year.
On any given day, drug users can be seen sprawled on the sidewalk, injecting themselves with needles as blood runs down their arms.
Others stumbled down Kensington Avenue in a daze or passed out on the pavement with fleas covering their hideous, flesh-eating wounds from the addictive animal tranquilizer, xylazine.
A homeless camp, mostly occupied by drug users, is located on Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia on November 23, 2023. Stephen Yang Jillian and Mike use opioids on a street corner off Kensington Avenue in November 2023. Stephen Yang
The neighborhood has also become a center of high crime and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Kensington had among the worst violent and drug crime rates in the entire city in the 30 days ending Jan. 26, according to data compiled by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I want to strongly commend Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada on her legislation, and we look forward to working with her as this bill moves through the Council’s legislative process,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement Thursday. “The purpose of the legislation being introduced is to address the kinds of social ills – open drug markets, illegal drug activity, nuisance businesses – that are eroding the quality of life in neighborhoods across our city, including Kensington.”
Lozada’s legislation follows an executive order Parker signed on Jan. 2 — the Democrat’s first act in office — declaring a public safety emergency to stop the rampant crime and rampant drug addiction plaguing the city’s neighborhoods.
The neighborhood has also become a center of high crime and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Kensington had among the worst violent and drug crime rates in the entire city in the 30 days ending Jan. 26. Stephen Yang Kensington, which is internationally known for its public drug overdoses, is among the areas of Philadelphia most affected by overdose deaths, according to city health department data. Stephen Yang
He also tasked Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and city partners with developing a strategy to dismantle open 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 approach 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 excited to announce the creation of a new position within the department: Deputy Commissioner of the Kensington Initiative.”
City Councilor Quetcy Lozada introduced a bill on Thursday that would require some commercial establishments and restaurants to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. if they are within certain areas of the Kensington neighborhood. Stephen Yang
Lozada’s bill is part of a legislative package that also requires a quarterly report from the Parker administration on how often the city’s first responders use opioid antidote and if an individual is prescribed more than once in a 30-day period, according to the press release.
Another bill would request data on the number of illegal encampments across the city.
“Throughout our first few weeks in office, I have made it abundantly clear: the rampant illegal drug activity and other quality-of-life disruptions occurring 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 Councilwoman Lozada, on this important legislation.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
