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.
Parker's initiative was specified in her 100-Day Action Plan as a means to address the violence connected with the rampant illicit drug use and homelessness in the area.
The clearing will include a closure in part of that section of the city for several hours, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.
"The temporary closure is needed to ensure the safety of city outreach teams as they engage individuals during the final day of encampment resolution on Wednesday, May 8, during which individuals residing at the encampment have been notified to dismantle any tents and structures that pose public health and safety hazards and obstruct sidewalk passage," Parker's office wrote in a statement.
Drugs and violence have been a problem in the Kensington neighborhood for years, as an illegal billion-dollar opioid trade has led to commonplace drug use and gun violence, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
This has made the Kensington section of the city to become known as the East Coast's largest "open-air drug market."
Between 2015 and 2022, the city reported 1,270 fatal overdoses in the Kensington area alone, along with more than 1,400 shootings.
Recent estimates revealed there are also at least 675 known homeless people in the Kensington section, with many city officials believing the number is actually much higher, the Inquirer reported.
The city's efforts to remove the encampment will be the final stage of a "monthlong encampment resolution process" that started in April, CBS News reported.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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