In Philadelphia, officials are working on strategies to fix one of the most drug-plagued neighborhoods in the country, which has continuously struggled with high rates of gun violence and overdose deaths. But some of the ideas being put forward have public health experts concerned, The New York Times reports. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who took office in January, campaigned on restoring “lawfulness,” and talked of bringing in the National Guard. Last month her administration released a highly-anticipated plan to “eliminate Kensington as the narcotics destination of Philadelphia,” with a central focus being higher law enforcement presence. Parker’s strategy is a move away from her predecessor, who after years of police operations and encampment sweeps that failed to make fundamental change,and focused on “harm reduction.”
Scott Burris, who directs the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University, said the city’s aim is to “exercise pressure on people to get treatment services.” But this would not solve the fundamental challenge of Kensington, he said, where large numbers of people need wound care, treatment for infectious disease, counseling, short- and long-term housing and jobs, even as they struggle to recover from an ever-changing mix of new and devastating drugs. “That’s always been our problem,” he said. “We don’t have the actual services available.”