Policing, courts and jails in Kensington, Philadelphia. Coverage of law enforcement, reentry programs, the justice system and how it affects the neighborhood.
In some cases, people are connected to long-term recovery programs at Christian facilities that don’t provide evidence-based care, including required unpaid labor or “work therapy.”
Health & Wellness
During Tuesday’s primary, the 7th and 33rd Wards, which include Fairhill, Harrowgate, and Kensington, remained the two wards with the lowest voter turnout in Philadelphia.
Guides & Resources
The April 23 race includes important Attorney General, State Auditor and Senate races. Oh yeah, and that Presidential thing
Clean Streets
A new city program that hires a professional cleaning service to handle blood and other remains after outdoor shootings launched this month in the 25th police district.
Accountability
While Philly's police commissioner said the first phase will begin after an encampment sweep scheduled for May 8, the city’s managing director said “we don’t have enough beds” to offer those who need addiction treatment and related services.
Accountability
Deputy Police Commissioner Pedro Rosario wants to send the Philadelphia Police Department’s “best out of the best” to Kensington
Accountability
State law requires Pennsylvania hospitals to provide rape kit exams on site. Still, Philly's three largest hospital systems have protocols for transferring sexual assault survivors to a facility that is co-located with law enforcement, receives no city funding, and is about $400,000 under budget.
Solutions Spotlight
While some have described PAD’s model “as a sort of triage/urgent care,” it’s unclear what the program’s role – if any – will be in the Parker administration's “triage centers” plan.
Accountability
The 761-page document mentions Kensington a total of 16 times – more than any other neighborhood, including Center City.
Small Business
The Sunshine House will offer various services, including gun violence and overdose prevention, and a “messaging center” where people can make and receive calls and collect messages from home.
Solutions Spotlight
Of the 186 people the program has served since September 2021, 67% reported full-time employment at the time of graduation, and only 5% of participants had been rearrested in the first year after graduating.
De las 186 personas que el programa ha atendido desde septiembre de 2021, el 67% reportó empleo a tiempo completo en el momento de la graduación, y solo el 5% de los participantes habían sido re-arrestados en el primer año después de graduarse.
Accountability
For some in Kensington and Harrowgate, the “triage” idea demonstrates “actions that match the gravity of our situation.”
Community Life
En cambio, la operación fue una incautación de drogas y armas a través de la oficina del fiscal general, según Brett Hambright, portavoz de la oficina del fiscal general.
Housing & Shelter
The operation was a drug and firearm seizure through the attorney general's office, according to spokesperson Brett Hambright.
Accountability
A coalition of City Council members who have described themselves as “the Kensington caucus” say they’re working to create a “triage” system for people who are unhoused and living with addiction in the neighborhood.
Accountability
Rosario is a captain in the city’s east detective division and says he’s worked in the Kensington community his “entire police career.”
Arts & Culture
The managing director, a position currently held by Tumar Alexander, directly oversees various city departments and programs responsible for addressing quality-of-life concerns in Kensington.
Community Life
The new Hug the Block data speaks to something called “routine activity theory,” which is the idea that crime occurs when there are motivated offenders, “suitable” targets, and the absence of “capable guardians” who can either witness the crimes or intervene.
Arts & Culture
For the first time in three years, the city is poised to end 2023 with fewer than 500 fatalities — but the gunshots, sirens, and recurring cycles of mourning persist.
Community Life
Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker has named Kevin Bethel, the School District of Philadelphia’s current chief of school safety, as her new police commissioner.
Arts & Culture
With this year’s general election underway, Kensington Voice spoke to three Gen Z voters on why voting is important to them and what issues push them to participate in local elections.
Guides & Resources
Philadelphia’s next mayor — the city’s 100th — will be in a historic position with the ability to fundamentally change the way schools are run and governed.
Arts & Culture
Leaders in the cultural sector realize the arts aren’t a magic wand. The city’s next mayor, they say, should instead view the arts as a tool to be utilized.
