Mayor Cherelle L. Parker traveled to Philadelphia's notorious Kensington neighborhood, walking past a line of tents and people lying in the street, some openly injecting drugs, to release her promised plan to tackle public safety with aggressive tactics against both violence and quality of life offenses, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 53-page plan aims to reduce the number of homicides in the city by 20%, cut down on stolen cars and retail theft by 50%, end the Kensington drug market, and add 129 new “community police officers” to the police department.
The plan also outlines way to reduce those crimes and how Parker plans to shut down drug markets. The strategy includes letting officers arrest anyone seen using illegal narcotics, a major departure for the neighborhood in an effort to end the neighborhood’s reputation as “the narcotics destination of Philadelphia.” Police will also arrest people for drugs, sex work, and quality-of-life crimes. The administration is working with hospitals and recovery services to increase the number of drug treatment options and will barricade sidewalks to get rid of camping. Parker's administration has also partnered with community organizations to "clean every block in Philadelphia" over the summer, and will allow sheriff's sales of seized properties to resume for the first time in years. The city has also reached a settlement in which companies agreed to stop "ghost gun" online sales to Philadelphia for four years.