Parker administration begins encampment sweep in Kensington

The big picture: Kensington's open-air drug market, dubbed the "Walmart of Heroin," is one of the biggest on the East Coast and has drawn international scorn as an epicenter of suffering and lawlessness.

• In recent years, the city's opioid supply has been overtaken by xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that can cause skin-rotting wounds and has contributed to a rise in overdose deaths.

Driving the news: The city is planning to force an estimated 44 people occupying an encampment along a stretch of Kensington Avenue to leave the area Wednesday.

• Outreach workers have been canvassing the area over the last month, offering housing and drug treatment services to people living there. At least 24 people have accepted placements.
• Tents or structures that obstruct sidewalks and "pose public health and safety hazards" will be dismantled.
• Sherylle Linton Jones, a spokesperson for Philly's Office of Homeless Services, tells Axios the city has enough capacity to accommodate everyone seeking treatment or shelter during Wednesday's encampment clearing.

Catch up quick: It's part of Mayor Cherelle Parker's multi-phase plan to shut down the neighborhood's deeply entrenched open-air drug markets and address poverty and disinvestment.

• Parker has vowed to ramp up police operations in Kensington that target drug dealers and individuals openly injecting drugs.

Between the lines: Some drug users told the Inquirer that police began aggressively policing the neighborhood once Parker took office in January, including making more arrests for low-level drug possession.

• Parker's approach marks a reversal from the previous administration's, which focused more on containment and harm reduction.

By the numbers: The Parker administration wants to spend $100 million to open the triage centers to help temporarily absorb unhoused people displaced from Kensington.

• Parker also proposed slashing $1 million in funding from Prevention Point, a social service organization that has provided clean syringes to people who use drugs.

What they're saying: Parker likened the city's previous approaches to a "Band-Aid," per the Inquirer.

• She said the city must do more to change "the trajectory of people's lives to really try to put them on a path of self sufficiency."

The other side: Critics have panned her approach as lacking compassion for people suffering from mental health problems and addiction. They say similar get-tough crackdowns had little success and only displaced people to other parts of the city.

• Some health experts fear Parker's shift away from harm-reduction strategies could lead to spikes in communicable diseases, including HIV.

Friction point: Some city legislators have criticized the Parker administration for sharing few details about her Kensington plan, including opening a proposed triage center in Fairmount.

• A spokesperson for Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, whose 7th District includes parts of Kensington, tells Axios that Parker hadn't communicated details about Wednesday's operation with her but she hoped for a "successful and peaceful outcome" for those requiring assistance.
• Councilmember Jeffery Young has said that Parker's plan for a triage center in his 5th District was "deeply troubling" because the mayor hadn't discussed it with the greater Fairmount community.

What's ahead: The city will shut down the main business corridor on Kensington Avenue from East Orleans Street to Allegheny Avenue from 8am-3pm Wednesday, per a city news release. Traffic is being detoured to nearby roads, including Frankford Avenue and Emerald Street.

• In the coming weeks, police will begin a multi-day arrest operation that'll include increased officer presence and warrant sweeps, all in an effort to restore and sustain public spaces and businesses.