Television’s Dr. Oz traveled to the Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington earlier this week, one of the most depressed and drug addicted parts of the United States, and met with addicts and those living on the street.
Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, ended a three-day stop in Germantown and Kensington by meeting with people dealing with drug addiction and taking them to detox centers in the area. This was apparently an unplanned visit to the area, and was met with some incredulity from local residents.
One woman asked the candidate, “What are you going to do about our addiction problems?” Oz replied by asking the woman to put down her cigarette give a detox center a chance.
“The solution is this,” said Oz, gesturing toward the people already gathered in his truck, “Getting people to go to detox and give it a chance.”
Dr. Oz ended a three-stop day in Germantown and Kensington by driving off with several people who told him they were dealing with drug addictions. Oz (who said this was unplanned) said he was taking them to reserve spots at a detox center. #PASEN pic.twitter.com/cjRIx9RAdW
— Will McDuffie (@wrmcduff) September 19, 2022
While largely flying under the radar of national news, the opioid epidemic in Kensington continues to grip the neighborhood with no end in sight. One of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Kensington is known for its gun violence and illegal open-air drug markets.
Local have described the area as resembling an episode from The Walking Dead, where people are slouched over from drug use – mostly fentanyl.
The darkest side of Kensington,Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/cJODMP1HuO
— Eric (@eric_katamba) August 26, 2022
Kensington, Philadelphia, November 7. The victim was a 28-year-old mother of three children named Shamecca Franklin. She was shot six times point-blank in the head, killing her. pic.twitter.com/nbqFXGoDGt
— Crime in NYC (@CrimeInNYC) November 22, 2021
Philadelphia has been a Democrat-dominated city for 70 years, with the last Republican mayor being Bernard “Barney” Samuel. He served as the 115th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1941 to 1952.
The current mayor is Mayor Jim Kenney (D). Since there are term limits for Philadelphia’s mayor, there are a few people that threw their hat in the ring to run for the position. Unfortunately, they all seem to be Democrats as well.
Philadelphia government faces unique challenges as a city where over 300 people were killed by homicide in less than 200 days.
This news and commentary by Kylie Thomas originally appeared on Valiant News.
