Philly Streets (Part 1/3) (18+ Footage) (Patreon)

WARNING: This video contains depictions of gross bodily injury, injection drug use, violence, and beyond. 

This footage was filmed on the streets of Kensington, Philadelphia, a neighborhood in North Philly quite similar to San Francisco's Tenderloin, wherein police turn a blind eye to public drug consumption and drug dealing in a six-block radius in hopes that this containment policy will prevent the 'visible' opioid crisis from spilling over to nearby, more affluent parts of the city like Fishtown and Northern Liberties -- which are currently experiencing intense gentrification as Temple University expands. 

However, the situation on the ground is much more drastic than in San Francisco, primarily due to a drug called 'Tranq,' which is a typically a mixture of Heroin, Fentanyl, and an animal tranquilizer called Xylazine, which is used by veterinarians to treat Tetanus in horses, among other things. Fentanyl and Xylazine contain co-morbid chemical compounds that can create a flesh-eating bacterial infection after Tranq is injected, especially if a vein is missed. 

This condition is called Necrotising Fasciitis, a very serious condition which if not treated immediately, has a death rate of between 15-44%. Even with treatment, 1 in 3 people who contract this virus will die unless they amputate the affected limb. 

In this series, we will speak to Tranq Users, Tranq Dealers, Harm Reduction workers, local dudes, and beyond. 

We also plan to cover Philadelphia history extensively in future installments, particularly with how White Flight, and the new wave of gentrification, essentially 'reverse White flight,' has facilitated the downfall of Kensington. 

Hope you find this interesting.

- AC