From Fishing to Fentanyl: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Philadelphia’s Kensington

Sunday, August 4 2024

Kensington, Philadelphia. An infamous neighborhood in our modern world known for its crippling drug crisis. When we bring up Kensington, we are often met with grimaces, many of us having nothing but a post-apocalyptic scene engraved in our minds. However, this neighborhood, which many people know but don’t necessarily love, is so much more than what we see in today’s media. 

Kensington’s rich history often reflected the status of the city of Philadelphia and the nation at the time. When settled in the 1700s, the neighborhood began as a modest shipbuilding and fishing center, similar to its adjacent neighborhood of Fishtown. In the 1800s, Kensington developed into a thriving hub for textile production, with many immigrants from the Irish and German immigration waves flocking there, drawn by prospective employment opportunities.

The post-WWII era then saw a significant reduction in industrial jobs as factories closed or moved away, beginning a spiral of rising unemployment and poverty. Residents left in search of better opportunities, and those who remained faced increasing hardship—systemic disinvestment, collapsing property values, and abundant vacancy were just some.

Kensington’s economic decline would set the stage for the illegal drug market that would soon plague it. As legitimate employment opportunities disappeared, some residents turned to the drug economy as an alternative means of income. During the 1980s, crack cocaine hit many urban areas in the United States, including Kensington, seeing a sharp increase in drug-related violence and crime. In the 1990s and 2000s, the heroin market rose; the neighborhood’s abandoned factories and buildings provided cover for drug trafficking and usage, and its proximity to Interstate 95 SEPTA’s Market Frankford Line made it extremely easy to travel to/from. 

The federal "War on Drugs" policies of the 1980s and 1990s then worsened the problem and disproportionately punished marginalized communities without offering sustainable solutions. Law enforcement also focused on arresting low-level dealers and consumers rather than addressing the actual causes of the drug crisis—overcrowding prisons.

In the early 2000s, the opioid crisis further intensified Kensington’s drug issues. Prescription painkillers became widely available, leading to increased heroin use as people sought more accessible alternatives. The dramatic rise in opioid overdoses made the neighborhood an epicenter of the United States’ opioid epidemic, with the more recent introduction of fentanyl adding yet another worsening factor to its drug crisis.

The infamous intersection of Kensington and Allegheny Avenues---the hub of drug consumption in Kensington. From Reddit by u/shattered32 in r/UrbanHell

However, Kensington's history is not solely one of decline. Its location, while having made it extremely susceptible to drug traffic, is also quite close to Center City Philadelphia, attracting new investors and residents with its affordable real estate. Community-driven organizations, like The New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC),  are also playing a critical role in Kensington's transformation, working to improve housing, local business, and public spaces. Additionally, newly elected Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has made it clear that she will be executing a disciplined crackdown on the drug crisis in Kensington. 

She tells WHYY, “This administration will use every tool in the toolbox to tackle the disorder that we have seen in Kensington.” 

These efforts to clean up the neighborhood, create green areas, and promote safety have all helped Kensington transition into the beginning stages of recovery. With a little bit more time, the neighborhood will hopefully restore its booming character to the streets of Philadelphia. 

Bibliography 

Biddle, Marcus. “Philly’s next mayor could try to end Kensington’s open-air drug market. How that could unfold is uncertain.” WHYY, 22 Apr. 2023, whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-mayor-kensington-open-air-drug-market. 

Gammage, Jeff. "Kensington: From Industrial Powerhouse to Epicenter of Philadelphia’s Opioid Crisis." The Philadelphia Inquirer, 15 Sept. 2019, https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/kensington-history-opioid-crisis-philadelphia-20190915.html. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.

Holton, Woody. "Kensington." Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, Rutgers University, https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/kensington/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.

MacDonald, Tom. “Mayor Parker signs bills targeting quality of life in Kensington.” WHYY, 4 Apr. 2024, whyy.org/articles/mayor-parker-signs-bills-kensington-curfew-gambling.

Marin, Max. “How Kensington Avenue’s open-air drug market went international — and the city’s fight to take back the neighborhood.” https://www.inquirer.com, 25 Mar. 2024, www.inquirer.com/news/kensington-philadelphia-history-drug-abuse-20240325.html.

"New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC)." NKCDC, https://www.nkcdc.org/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.

Pizzi, Jenna. "Reviving a Community: How Kensington Is Rebuilding from Within." WHYY, 10 Mar. 2021, https://whyy.org/articles/reviving-a-community-how-kensington-is-rebuilding-from-within/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.

Santos, Guillermo A. “In Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, heroin is far from ‘chic.’” NPR, 20 Feb. 2024, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/02/20/1232496906/addiction-opioid-overdose-kensington-philadelphia-zombie-tranq.