Kensington neighborhood was undisputedly a well-established region and the backdrop of Philadelphia due to its then vibrant and bustling factories and mills. However, the high reputation would eventually be diminished due to the high rates of unemployment, economic decline, as well as the abandonment of properties. It's a former middle-class working neighborhood that has lost most of the industry that used to be centered here. “The area is now considered a lower class with most of the population living well below the poverty line. Drug abuse, high school dropout, broken families and violence are the norm and not the exception (M. Roth, personal communication, Cornerstone Community Church) .” However, development in the region is gradual as millennials are moving into the region. “ We are in the very beginning of the gentrification process as we are starting to see many homes being purchased by construction development companies which are starting to drive up the prices in the housing market . Along with the growth of the millennials moving in, we are seeing more movement in the social justice programs (M. Roth, personal communication, Cornerstone Community Church) .” Even though revitalization processes are underway, there remain some regions where the impact of increasing poverty, declining housing market, and the absence of beneficial initiatives are persistent. The divided neighborhood has contrasting levels of poverty , racial diversity, infrastructure, and levels of crime.
Transportation
The decline in industrialization slowed down the growth of infrastructure in the region. There is no airport and train station within 30 miles of the region’s center. The nearest airport and train station (Amtrak) are in Philadelphia. As a result, the majority of the residents use either private means or public transport to commute. 9.1% workers do carpool , 4.3% work from home and do not need to commute , 25.5% use public means of transportation, and 7% walk as a means of commuting to their places of work ( Kensington, Philadelphia, PA Transportation, 2019). The most notable transportation is the intersection of Kensington and Allegheny Avenues that is commonly identified by its residents as K & A in the Richmond neighborhood. The region is served by the Market-Frankford Line that runs on top of the Kensington Avenue. The routes are famous for bus routes that act as the main public transport system for the residents.
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However, despite the slowed economy in the region, the roads are well-maintained. There are not dirty ; there are no potholes or abandoned vehicles that line at roadsides. Nonetheless, the roads are narrow, there is poor street lighting, and several roadblocks due to unfinished constructions. On the other hand, high traffic regions often have congestions ( Transportation, 2017). Conversely, traffic that runs from East to West and from North to South tend to be smooth and sufficient. Maintenance of transportation systems is managed by the Philadelphia federal divisions . Traffic regulations and rules are enforced by the region’s traffic department and enacted by the state ( Transportation, 2017) . The city’s code is that the Street Department is to construct and maintain roads and associated facilities that are controlled and operated by the city.
Religion/Spirituality
Christianity is the dominant religion in the region due to the presence of numerous churches. From the interview, residents of Kensington seek hope since a majority of the city’s officials appear to have given up on the community. Some of the residents turn to drug abuse and crime as a coping mechanism to deal with despair. As a community-based non-denominational evangelical church, Christianity is meant to bring hope to the residents. Holistic programs have been undertaken to revitalize the community to what it used to be before. “ We have a growing addictions ministry that partners with both a men's and women's recovery house, we offer various AA and NA meetings, an after-school program in which we partner with Cairn University, various kids and teen ministry programs as well as a community food distribution program and a fully operational thrift store (M. Roth, personal communication, Cornerstone Community Church) .”
Other Spiritual Practices or Organizations Active in the Area
The region is known for its large working-class Irish Catholic community, and there are six episcopal parishes namely; Emmanuel, St. Nathaniel, Free Church of St. John, St. Ambrose, St. Lukes, and St. Ambrose. The Rock ministries that is mentioned in the interview is one of the many movements that are helping the residents of the region. Other organizations include the Esperanza Health Center that is focused on providing medical care and mental health services to the community given the widespread use of drugs. There are also a significant number of Muslims in the regions with approximately 10 Mosques near the neighborhood. Muslim leaders from different Mosques are also seeking to strengthen their ties with the community in a means of reviving the region . They help people cope with personal issues and engage in educative programs to help the community ( Abdelaal & Catharine, 2016). Several synagogues have also been established in the region to serve the Jewish residents of the area. This was after the high immigration rate of Jewish communities from Europe who settled in Philadelphia and its surrounding regions . The increasing number of sweatshops in Kensington and other surrounding regions attracted a large number of Jews.
Level of Spirituality
The level of religious engagement is high due to the incorporation of community projects such as drug rehabilitation projects. The religious movements are doing an excellent job of meeting the needs of the residents. Ministry programs also target teens who are highly prone to engage in drug abuse and crime. Several church programs have also provided food aids to the needy people who are below the poverty line. The increased involvement of the church in the region has increased the spiritual affiliation of people to Christianity.
Safety
Despite having several decent neighborhoods, Kensington has some horrible regions that are marred with high levels of insecurity. “Race factors very little in this neighborhood since most people consider themselves poor and struggling more than they identify with race (M. Roth, personal communication, Cornerstone Community Church) .” Racial factors are not considered to have significant influences in the region since people are struggling to meet their daily basic needs. As one of the greatest preceptors of crime, high levels of drug abuse and poverty negatively contributes to people engaging in illegal activities as a coping mechanism. The persistence of crime in some of the regions in the neighborhood makes it challenging for the criminal justice system to reduce the rates.
Judicial District
Similar to other regions in Philadelphia, Kensington was a self-governing district between 1820 and 1854. Currently, the judicial district is the Philadelphia Municipal Court that has Honorable Patrick F. Dugan as its president.
Police Stations
Despite the high crime rates in the region, the area has one police and patrol station. The 26 th District Police and Patrol Station is not only a security center but also a historic place and a national heritage that was designed and built in 1896 by John T. Windrim. The three-story building made of brick follows the renaissance era with a monumental curved corner. It is also decorated with a wide frieze and pitched roof that was later made into the region’s police station in 1969.
Law Enforcement
There are a few patrol officers in the region with some streets being marked as notorious for criminal acts such as drug peddling and prostitution. The conditions of the streets of Kensington are terrible and tainted with the increased drug use among its residents. Police stations have even teamed up with prevention programs that act as diversion projects for residents who have committed low-level crimes. The Kensington crisis is severe and does not only affects the youth but all residents as well. Residents in the region are often exposed to violence that has increased in the region ( Ratcliffe & Sorg, 2017). The safety rate is low and prevention programs aim at helping affected individuals and their families in the middle of the drug crisis. Law enforcers have no choice but to be compassionate rather than being judgmental when dealing with the drug menace. The problem in Kensington is aggravated by the unfortunate fact of there being low unemployment rates and people living in abject poverty.
The drug menace has also seen a number of private detectives and sting operations being carried out in the region with the main aim of apprehending drug users, peddlers, and crime lords who are behind the drug business. Past drug stings were made with successful attempts resulting in numerous arrests of both buyers and dealers of narcotics ( Groff et al., 2015) . The same sting operations by undercover police officers also resulted in arrests made in the prostitution rings. The sting operations are often done with plain-clothed officers and undercover police in the narcotics units ( Ratcliffe & Sorg, 2017) . Cameras and other technologies are also used in the operations due to the nature of criminal activities that have destabilized the region for years.
Firefighters and Public Safety
Philadelphia Fire Department has assigned different engine stations to various regions as a means of safeguarding the greater region . Kensington neighborhood is assigned engine 33 and its station that is located at 4750 Richmond Street to serve the assigned region . Due to the size of the neighborhood , the department also assigned Engines 6 and 7 located at 2601 Belgrade Street and 3798 Kensington avenues. There are also engines 25 and 28 situated at 2931 Boudinot and 2520 East Ontario Streets. Medics 2, 8, and 45B are also assigned as special units and ambulances alongside the firefighters (Philadelphia FD, 2019). The department works closely with the 25 th District police station in providing safety to its residents. Therefore, public resources are adequately availed to the residents to maintain and promote safety in the region.
Dangerous Locations in Kensington
The region is widely identified as one of the earliest places that promoted and gave rise to criminal gangs. It is the birthplace of the famous K%A gang which was an Irish organized crime association that produced and distributed methamphetamine in the 1980s (Deeny, 2019). Apart from other notorious streets and avenues are known for dangerous criminal activities that are mostly drug-related, the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street was listed in 2007 as the city’s top 10 recreational drug corners ( Groff et al., 2015). The region is also widely recognized for numerous prostitution activities. The identified notorious zone saw victims being strangled in 2010 forcing a manhunt for a suspect named as “The Kensington Strangler.” A person of interest in the case was later arrested after confessing to committing the murders and sentenced to life in prison in 2012. As part of police training, recruits have to be taken to the dangerous and notorious areas to familiarize with the severity of the criminal activities in the region. Police patrols often report numerous needles and injections that indicate the widespread use of drugs that are openly done on the streets. The Kensington’s police force is inarguably overwhelmed by the city’s scope of addiction problems to its residents (Deeny, 2019). Addicts are openly injecting drugs further illustrating that the region is a territory forsaken by law. The regions resemble a town that completely went wrong. Drug trade is high and dangerous groups operate in running prostitution and drug-related businesses.
Conclusion
The once industrial town that was the cornerstone of Philadelphia has been gradually ignored and failing to meet the needs of its residents. Despite efforts to revive the Kensington neighborhood, the overall crime, unemployment, and poverty rates are extremely high. Given the region’s history of organized crime, prostitution and drug abuse is high and posing challenges for the law enforcement officers to manage. The criminal justice department is overwhelmed by the rising menace of crime in the region. Therefore, their only option remains to be resilience and compassion when dealing with addicts and low-level criminals. However, more patrols and revival of closed businesses and industries would provide employment opportunities to the residents that would possibly help reduce the high crime rates.
References
Abdelaal, R & Catharine, E. (2016). Olde Kensington: Imam aims to build stronger ties within the community. Philadelphia Neighborhoods. Retrieved from https://philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2016/02/11/olde-kensington-imam-aims-to-build-stronger-ties-within-the-community/
Deeny, J. (2019). Philadelphia’s Kensington Avenue: Heroin, prostitution, and no police. Daily Beast. Retrieved from https://www.thedailybeast.com/philadelphias-kensington-avenue-heroin-prostitution-and-no-police?ref=scroll
Groff, E. R., Ratcliffe, J. H., Haberman, C. P., Sorg, E. T., Joyce, N. M., & Taylor, R. B. (2015). Does what police do at hot spots matter? The Philadelphia policing tactics experiment. Criminology , 53 (1), 23-53.
Kensington, Philadelphia, PA Transportation. (2019). Area Vibes. Retrieved from https://www.areavibes.com/philadelphia-pa/kensington/transportation/
Philadelphia FD. (2019). Pafirefighters. Retrieved from http://www.pafirefighters.com/philadelphia.htm
Ratcliffe, J. H., & Sorg, E. T. (2017). The Philadelphia Experience. In Foot Patrol (pp. 21-41). Springer, Cham.
Transportation. 2017. Philadelphia Streets. Retrieved from https://www.philadelphiastreets.com/transportation/
