Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is set to clear a two-block stretch of Kensington Avenue on Wednesday, part of her administration's broader strategy to address the city's opioid crisis and homelessness. The clearance, which will also see a temporary shutdown of the area from E Orleans St to Allegheny Ave, is aimed at dismantling the entrenched open-air drug market. This initiative follows Parker's campaign promise and involves outreach teams working with individuals in the area to find housing and drug treatment options. Additionally, Parker plans to open at least three facilities offering shelter and medical services for people in addiction, backed by a $100 million plan to expand drug treatment in the city. However, the plan has faced criticism from City Council members and harm reduction advocates, questioning its efficacy and potential displacement effects. The administration will replace David Holloman, the head of the city’s Office of Homeless Services, following financial mismanagement revelations. Furthermore, media coverage of the clearance event is banned, and there have been reports of intensifying police harassment in the area.
HAPPENING TODAY: Mayor Parker's goal of a "cleaner and greener Philadelphia" starts today in Kensington as city officials take to the streets of that neighborhood to remove homeless encampments and more! We're LIVE from where the cleanup will take place! #TUNEINNOW #FOX29GoodDay https://t.co/zxZ7ntG8yt
Mayor Cherelle Parker addresses Kensington cleanup during town hall on proposed $6.29 billion budget https://t.co/QrJRdub4iw
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker acknowledged Tuesday night that the rollout of her strategy to dismantle the entrenched open-air drug market in Kensington won’t be perfect, likening the effort to “building the plane while I’m flying it.” https://t.co/AgGFsexmkB
Questions remain about Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's plan to clear out Kensington's homeless encampment, but residents are hopeful it will be the start of changes to the neighborhood. https://t.co/XdmFURar1U
Residents and people living on the streets of Kensington say the city’s plan to get rid of the homeless encampment will move the issue elsewhere and could maybe give those there the push they need to get help. @YukareNakayama has more on how people feel. https://t.co/lF722ojfAD
Parker admin's rushed aggressive policing approach to Kensington is simply pushing people experiencing houselesness & addiction to other areas, further destabilizing people's lives & making it even harder for them to access healthcare, shelter & treatment. https://t.co/t97Dmfd6Dk https://t.co/aqahgmwDtu
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration wants to open at least three facilities that offer a range of shelter and medical services for people in addiction as part of a $100 million plan to expand drug treatment options in the city. https://t.co/xcTdSXXHUh
Philadelphia's plan to shut down homeless encampments in Kensington has received questions and criticisms from harm reduction advocates, City Council and officials outside city limits concerned about a potential rise in unhoused residents in the suburbs. https://t.co/AoQrhYjXiW
Philadelphia will clear a homeless encampment Wednesday in an area known as the center of the city's opioid crisis, a fulfillment of a campaign promise by recently elected Mayor Cherelle Parker. https://t.co/frorFBKwvM
Mayor Parker's office says for the last month, outreach teams and social service agencies have been working with individuals in the neighborhood to find them a place to live and drug treatment. https://t.co/w15kWan4bt
A crackdown on Kensington’s open-air drug market is coming, but will it work? Mayor Parker’s plan to revive the neighborhood follows decades of failed efforts. via @meirrinde + @billy_penn https://t.co/uZtshX9fBJ
Ahead of the Parker administration’s planned clearance of Kensington Avenue on Wednesday, drug users in the neighborhood say they’ve experienced intensifying police harassment since the new mayor took office. https://t.co/sEBATbsMXF
The #Fox29GoodDay gang is here to get your Tuesday off to a good start! #TUNEINNOW because the 5:00 hour of Good Day Philadelphia is well underway! We've got all of the latest news, weather, traffic and sports! https://t.co/UKgeC8xmXi
Philadelphia City Council members criticized top members of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration over a lack of details about the administration’s plan to end the open-air drug market in Kensington. https://t.co/pyynRPsK7e
#Philly MAYOR PARKER TO BEGIN KENSINGTON CLEAN-UP - CITY SOMEHOW BANS MEDIA COVERAGE @aclupa Philadelphia will temporarily shut down Kensington Ave from E Orleans St to Allegheny Ave on Wednesday in Kensington as city workers clear an encampment of people in the… https://t.co/M9gtXkcKGv
Philadelphia is shutting down a stretch of Kensington Avenue near Allegheny for seven hours on Wednesday. This is part of the city's "encampment resolution." The official release says press "will not be permitted" to enter the era. https://t.co/oPmQo8kVYM
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker will replace David Holloman, the current head of the city’s Office of Homeless Services, following revelations about financial mismanagement in the office, a top city official said Monday. https://t.co/ZuTKEVMeIO
All eyes are on Kensington as Mayor Parker's administration plans to clear people from the sidewalks along a two-block stretch of Kensington Avenue. The clearing is scheduled for Wednesday. https://t.co/4LWl8SmzYI