Philadelphia on Monday plans to temporarily shut down a stretch of Kensington Avenue — a street known worldwide as an open-air drug market — to clear out homeless encampments.
Kensington has for years been a safe haven for drug addicts to freely shoot up, but Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order declaring a public safety emergency and calling for strategies to dismantle open-air drug markets, including Kensington, as her first act in office in January.
The city posted a 30-day notice on April 4 for homeless encampments on the 3000 and 3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue to vacate as part of the Democrat’s plan to improve public health and safety in the area.
Kensington Avenue will be closed from East Orleans Street to Allegheny Avenue from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday as part of the city’s final push to clear the encampments, according to the city. Government workers have been helping individuals find housing and treatment since the notice was posted in April, a local NBC affiliate reported.
