Why does the drug trade seem to center around Kensington ave?

[JakeL]

I'm waiting for you to explain how any of that will change if the open air market is moved to Camden exclusively.

Junkies hate the bridge toll too?

[InYourVacancies]

I'm waiting for you to explain how any of that will change if the open air market is moved to Camden exclusively.

I never said it will or won't. I was merely pointing out that even if it hasn't directly affected you, doesn't mean it doesn't impact your neighborhood.

It wouldn't change if it moved to camden...because it won't move to Camden completely. There will always be places in this city to find drugs as long as there are users in the city limits (supply+demand). Even if Somerset got cleaned up it would just be elsewhere like it already is beyond that corner. Go to Olney TC, Bridge-Pratt, etc.

[2happy4u]

That's SW, and it's gross but nothing like Somerset.

OH it's now in SW.... It's only "the deadliest hood in the country for hand gun murders" Seth Williams. 52st has some lovely corners to.

[boognish]

It's always been in the SW.

Did you just move to the city?

And at quoting Seth Willliams.

[RedBullMB]

Forget K & A, we all know that the best place to score drugs (and hookers) is Metsfan's doorstep.

[#1MetsFan]

Well, a few doors down anyway...

[thoth]

52st has some lovely corners to.

I'm sure you wouldn't know, especially since you thought Kingsessing was in West Philly. Feel free to name one that you think is worse than Somerset, and I'll tell you why it's not.

Actually, let's save us both some time: My point from the beginning has been that many neighborhoods have scattered drug corners, including west and SW. Places like Kingsessing might even have a lot of drug corners. Usually a rotating crew of guys that hang out on "their" corner. But Somerset is probably the only place where I have seen a single intersection that is palpably teeming with dealers and junkies at all times. Where I've been solicited maybe five times, by five different people, for five different drugs, in the span of a minute. Where I've gotten off of the el, and almost without fail been immediately offered drugs. It's the difference between your neighborhood farmer's market and Reading Terminal.

I know in your bigmel nightmare mind you think all of Philadelphia is like this, but it's not, even most of the bad parts. I actually live near 52nd street, and while you could certainly find drugs there if you tried, it's way more inconsistent and takes way more leg work than Somerset, where it seems like the police have basically accepted that there is going to be a bustling drug market. Or at least that was what it was like when I worked in Fishtown/Kensington/Harrowgate for two years.

[#1MetsFan]

I never said it will or won't.

Yeah, sorry, it was John Goodman who said it.

[John Goodman]

Yeah, sorry, it was John Goodman who said it.

Ya I just want to be able to say there is no open air heroin markets in my town

If its in jersey we can blame jersey for our problems, which would feel good

[daveydoo]

I'm sure you wouldn't know, especially since you thought Kingsessing was in West Philly. Feel free to name one that you think is worse than Somerset, and I'll tell you why it's not.

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is in the old Lomax carpet warehouse on the 2900 block of Jasper. I'm sorry to say this but a side effect of volunteering there is actually feeling good about my neighborhood in comparison.

[ArcticSplash]

As bad as it sounds at Kensington & Somerset--it really is not that intimidating, at least to me anyway. I drive past it on the way to Sherry's to get breakfast on some weekends. Last drove past there on the way to the gun range.


You really notice it on Sunday mid-mornings, when most intersections on Kensington Ave are completely dead. Then you reach Somerset and there's over 100 people scattered across all parts of the intersection, many waiting near the stairs on the Westbound side to the EL station (where fare collection is upstairs).

You will get hustled a LOT if you are on foot, but it's not inherently violently-dangerous. The dealers don't want their customers skivvied out that they'll go somewhere else.



Want to have fun with a dealer---demand a specific prescription drug that no junkie would ever be using. Like for instance, albuterol. It's a drug used for patients who are on O2 assistance to open the capillaries in their lungs.

Some of them will try so hard to manage your request or upsell you to something else. "Nah it's for my sis; I only came here to get that I don't want any other **** man." Hilarity will ensue. I had to walk to Frankford in the rain because the EL was shut down past Huntingdon and had to go through the rest of Kensington on foot 4 years ago and I pulled that on a number of people to entertain myself.

[thoth]

Yes this is accurate, to be clear when I say "bad" i mean in terms of unabashed drug dealing, not in terms of physical danger. There are definitely lots of drug related shootings around somerset, but the intersection itself is reasonably safe just to allow trade to go on. can't really say the same for Kingsessing, 52nd whatever.

As bad as it sounds at Kensington & Somerset--it really is not that intimidating, at least to me anyway. I drive past it on the way to Sherry's to get breakfast on some weekends. Last drove past there on the way to the gun range.


You really notice it on Sunday mid-mornings, when most intersections on Kensington Ave are completely dead. Then you reach Somerset and there's over 100 people scattered across all parts of the intersection, many waiting near the stairs on the Westbound side to the EL station (where fare collection is upstairs).

You will get hustled a LOT if you are on foot, but it's not inherently violently-dangerous. The dealers don't want their customers skivvied out that they'll go somewhere else.



Want to have fun with a dealer---demand a specific prescription drug that no junkie would ever be using. Like for instance, albuterol. It's a drug used for patients who are on O2 assistance to open the capillaries in their lungs.

Some of them will try so hard to manage your request or upsell you to something else. "Nah it's for my sis; I only came here to get that I don't want any other **** man." Hilarity will ensue. I had to walk to Frankford in the rain because the EL was shut down past Huntingdon and had to go through the rest of Kensington on foot 4 years ago and I pulled that on a number of people to entertain myself.

[John Goodman]

Out of curiousity...

How long has the open air market existed? I presume since the 70s or 80s?

[Hypebeast]

Why is it so hard to find hash in the city? Do I need to drive to Kensington?

[BALLZ2BHERE]

Why is it so hard to find hash in the city? Do I need to drive to Kensington?

You ain't even Finding that in Kensington, maybe Mayfair or tacony !

[MizFormaldehyde]

Maybe because of the el... cheap public transportation... people traveling to and from... people always coming and going

And also, that part of the city is somewhat cut-off from the rest of the city, it's like its own little universe.

Pretty much. Somerset most especially is like its own entity at times.

You also have what we call the rust-belt effect. After the decline of industry in the 50's-70's, poverty ensued. Poverty causes crime and drug trade & demand, which is especially economical on a busy street that can be accessed from anywhere in the city. Buses run from many areas to Frankford Avenue and the El/Subway makes it even more simple.

[MNG1324]

The K&A area is a big drug market because it has easy access from 95 for Jersey people and northern suburbs and even parts of Delco and the EL for Center city, West Philly and other parts of Delco. Along with the decline and poverty of the surrounding areas it's the perfect market for an open air drug operation. We don't have the Police and drug treatment resosources and it isn't that big of an issue to the Politcal machinery to solve. I'm curious to see how far the gentrification of PortFishingTon goes and whether $250k houses will lead to a demand that this me **** down which will only move it to somewhere else.