Philadelphia police working with Kensington business owners as part of plan to clean up neighborhood: sources
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police have been meeting with Kensington business owners as part of Mayor Cherelle Parker's plan to clean up the neighborhood, sources said on Wednesday.
Addressing public safety in the city, particularly in Kensington, was one of the biggest issues Parker ran on during her mayoral campaign.
The plan is still being developed, according to sources.
But business owners are hopeful for a new day in Kensington and say actions speak louder than words.
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At Caphe Roasters just off Kensington Avenue on J Street, the rich aroma of a business thrives, inviting people to socialize, work and take a break from the realities of addiction just outside the door.
"Sometimes you need a change or new regime for some kind of change to happen because right now whatever has been going on, hasn't been working," Keir Johnson, the co-founder of Amber Art and Design, said.
Kensington is the epicenter of Philadelphia's open-air drug market.
Business owners like Johnson are waiting to see how Parker and recently appointed Deputy Commissioner Pedro Rosario will change that.
"You know, I've grown up in this city," Johnson said. "Every mayor recognizes the problem here and we are still in the same place. So I return to the thought that action is the language of truth."
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"To see an actual mission to solve a problem beyond just throwing money at something is great," Nigel Richards, a Kensington business owner, said. "So I have faith in it. I'm invested in it. I believe in this neighborhood."
Sources said the city does a count weekly, finding upwards of 700 people on Kensington Avenue struggling with addiction.
"If you see drugs and a you see certain drug, you're gonna buy that drug," said Markshawn Gardner, who struggles with addiction. "It's available and accessible here, and it's easy and much more accessible here than anywhere in Philadelphia."
Gardner said he's hopeful the effort to get rid of the drugs in the neighborhood will help people like himself struggling with addiction.