February 04, 2019
More than 300 abandoned vehicles were towed away from Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood over the weekend, part of the city's ongoing push to clear the neighborhood' streets of blight and drugs.
For the second weekend in a row, the Philadelphia Police Neighborhood Services Unit worked with more than a dozen salvers. In three days total, they towed 338 vehicles. Including another day of work last May, they've towed 537 abandoned cars.
The initiative is part of the Philadelphia Resilience Project, a targeted campaign that has worked to stem the cycle of homelessness and drug addiction in Kensington and Fairhill.
“We are working with other city agencies to help improve the quality of life for residents in the area,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Sullivan. “We know that removing the unregistered, uninsured abandoned autos can help do that, especially knowing that some abandoned cars are used to hide drugs.”
Last week, Philadelphia officials cleared Kensington's last remaining large underpass encampment, a notorious site under the Emerald Street Bridge.
The Resilience Project brings together more than 35 city agencies to work with neighborhood groups, service providers, faith leaders and local businesses in Kensington. The goal is to facilitate treatment, prevention and community engagement to combat the opioid epidemic.
