Rocky Steps, Longwood Gardens, and Peddler’s Village. Places like these can get tarnished by the image of Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia, a location that became infamous among the sea of famous sights. From people fighting their drug addictions to truly tragic stories, you shouldn’t write off the avenue as some skid row of Philadelphia.
Kensington Avenue runs 3 miles through what is now a dangerous and crime-ridden neighborhood. Every corner houses a story about a broken person. The streets of Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue, don’t hold back on the scary factor. If there is a problem plaguing modern society, chances are you will find the living form of it in the 3-mile-long stretch.
Photos are the best way to experience the ugly, rugged, and dirty side of Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia. Between 2008 and 2014, the photographer Jeffrey Stockbridge took a series of intimate portraits of people he later put in a book, capturing a side of Philadelphia that is rarely seen or talked about.
In the Kensington Blues project, the residents shared their stories, talking about drugs, prostitution, and other struggles of their lives. Without further ado, let’s look at the photos, discover the difficult hand some people have been dealt, and learn more about the infamous neighborhood in Philly.
More info: kensingtonblues.com
#1 Al
Al lives in a house off Kensington Avenue without electricity or running water. He sometimes rents his upstairs bedroom to prostitutes in need of a private location for engaging in sex and drug use.
#2 Sarah
“I’m 55 years old, I have a master’s degree in psychology, but after my husband, mother and father, died in a car accident two years ago, I lost my whole family, my career, one, my health, all in one go.”
#3 The Twins Tic Tac And Tootsie
“We out here so we can get money so we has somewhere to rest our heads. We look out for each other. If I can’t get money, she gets it, and whatever money we get we share…We need quick money cause we need somewhere to sleep every day. I mean, trust me, we don’t want to be out here doing this. This is the last thing I want to do. But I do what I have to do to take care of my sister. Cause she’s all I got and I’m all she’s got.”
#4 Pat And Rachel
They still have children, whom they gave away to a special agency for their protection. “We gave the kids away, people say it’s a selfish act, but I think it’s the best I could do for their better future,” Rachel said.
What is Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia, Known for?
Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia has more than one problem. The problems are more dangerous due to their long-lasting nature and both long and short-term side effects. According to the 2019 City of Philadelphia report, Upper Kensington ranks dead last in health factors. In some cases, health-related metrics in this area are significantly higher than the average numbers for Philadelphia as a whole. Specifically, per 10,000 residents:
204.7 violent crimes are committed (average for Philadelphia — 95.7).203.1 lives are lost from injuries (average for Philadelphia — 68.6).8.3 homicides are committed (average for Philadelphia — 1.7).
Upper Kensington also has higher levels of unemployment (27%) and drug overdose deaths (152.1 per 100,000 people, where the city’s average is 44.8).
#5 Carroll
She told that she often sleeps on the streets during the day to protect herself at night.
#6 Jamie
“I’ve been raped, and, you know, almost killed really”
#7 Bob
#8 Tanya
She is 25 years old, working in the sex industry since she was 18.
#9 Carol
A local resident, at the time she was 41. Carol told the photographer that she had been doing heroin for 21 years and it became “the love of her life”.
#10 Mary
“I don’t just do this for drugs. I do this because I wanna eat, because I like to buy clothes, because I like the small things, you know. I did have a normal life once but…I really believe, like if my, if my family say like, “Mary come, come home stay with us” like, if I could I would…”
#11 Sarah And Dennis
The veins in Sarah’s arms were no good for injection, so she asked Dennis for the drug to be injected to her neck.
#12 Susan
#13 Matt Neal
#14 Kensington And Somerset
Maria: “I’ve been here almost 8 years and I see a lot of bad stuff going around. They say when you go between it, you gonna do it too.” Robert: “You don’t need no cable, you don’t have to watch TV. You just gotta sit out here. You see drama, you see soap opera, you see violence and crime.” Maria: “You even see sex.”
Where is Philadelphia Skid Row?
Want to look at the streets of Philadelphia Kensington Avenue firsthand? Well, you can find the area most often referred to as Philadelphia’s modern-day skid row in northern Philly. Once a bustling center of workers, the area is riddled with vices today.
#15 Matt Neal
He struggled with drug addiction after being released from prison. Sepsis developed in his left leg. Because of his addiction, he failed to meet the treatment regimen and eventually the doctors had to amputate part of the leg.
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#16 Nichole
#17 Vinny
#18 Melissa’s Arms
#19 Jamie
#20 Bobby
#21 Lauren
#22 Paul (Left) And Anthony (Right), In The Courtyard At The Last Stop Recovery House
#23 Maria
#24 Matt And Brian
Matt shoots Brian in the neck in front of the McPherson Square Library on Kensington Avenue. It’s 10 AM on Sunday morning.
What is the Life Expectancy in Kensington, Philadelphia?
With crime going rampant, it’s easy to guess the impact it has on the average health of residents near or in Kensington, Philadelphia. According to the report mentioned above, in Upper Kensington, where the health factors are the worst, the average man lived up to 63.9 years. The average Philadelphia man in 2019 lived up to 72.3 years—that’s a 10-year difference.
#25 Nichol
“I don’t really ask people for a lot, I get my money, like I don’t like to, cause a lot of times to get people to take care of you, you have to lie to them. And then lead them on and make them think that you’re gonna get clean. And then, and then it ends up getting to be too much, where they’re trying to control what you do. And I’d rather just get the money and end it at that with no strings attached cause I don’t need someone following me around, trying to track me down like, trying to drop me off at rehabs and shit.”
#26 Ashley
#27 Diana With Her Kids
#28 Scrappers
#29 Marion
“I went into rehab, for, like, snorting cocaine, taking oxies, perks, and I met people that did dope and smoked crack, and, you know, like, one thing led to another, and I was just, I was, I wanted to try it, and I did.”
#30 Woman On East Sterner Street
#31 Jennette
#32 Edward
#33 Crystal
#34 Unknown
What is the Documentary About Kensington in Philadelphia?
Pictures taken on Kensington Avenue are just one way to experience the life of the place. Independent YouTubers and news services also took cameras to the street. They captured the atmosphere of the avenue with sound and commentary. SBC News repeatedly covered the avenue, advising viewers to avoid the area.
Moreover, a 2023 documentary named Utter Nonsense has drawn attention to the opioid crisis in Philadelphia, specifically highlighting its impact on the Kensington section of the city.
#35 Dalmata
#36 Eric Kyle
“What I’m doing I really don’t particularly care to be doing, but I do it anyway, and I’m not ashamed of it ’cause if I was ashamed of it, I wouldn’t do it….Until I decide to change it’s what I’m gonna do. Hopefully, like, the will of God…will make me strong enough and give me the determination to stop and get some help.”
#37 Bobby
“I sold a lot of drugs and was involved with a lot of like, stuff that had to do with shooting guns and all. Most of it was uh selling drugs and collecting money that was owed to me and it caused me getting into a lot of trouble.”
#38 Christina
#39 Nancy
#40 Nancy
#41 Alex
#42 Christian
#43 Jose
#44 A Woman Stands On Kensington Ave
