PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Parker administration last week gave a detailed report on the progress of its Kensington revival plan, and City Council’s Kensington Caucus went into more detail at a hearing the next day.
Council members generally applauded the work that public safety officials have done in the first year, while acknowledging that it is still in its early stages and there is much more left to do.
It was also a chance for members of the public to have their say. The few members of the public who took the opportunity to testify were more critical. When one resident complained that change is too slow, caucus chair Quetcy Lozada was sympathetic.
“This situation has been brewing for many, many years. It is going to take us a long time.”
But Lozada had no patience for a self-described “harm reductionist” who criticized stepped up enforcement, saying, “Kensington belongs to the people not the Kensington caucus.”
“Where do you live?” asked Lozada.
No answer.
“Probably not Kensington,” Lozada continued. “At the end of the day, my responsibility is to be the voice of the people who elected me to be here — people who, for over 20 years, have been ignored because harm reduction was the priority, not the people who live there.”
Lozada made it clear she sees progress and intends to stay the course.
Harrowgate resident Al Klosterman testified that he’s dissatisfied with the pace of change and worried that enforcement has not eliminated open-air drug sales, but simply moved them.
“After police actions last year, many drug users migrated to our area above Allegheny Avenue. The growing numbers are really discouraging,” Klosterman said.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel acknowledged the problem and explained why it may take years to see a dramatic change.
“Because of its location to the 95 corridor, it is and continues to be a very easy place for individuals to come along the entire Eastern Seaboard, and so we are going to be dealing with an undercurrent of corners that are multimillion-dollar earners that have been woven into that space for quite some time,” he said.
Bethel promised, though, that the Department is determined to root the problem out.