A disturbing video has emerged, revealing the grim reality of Philadelphia's escalating "tranq" drug crisis.
The footage, captured in the Kensington neighborhood, showcases individuals in a drug-induced stupor, navigating sidewalks littered with flaming piles of trash. Kensington, notorious for its open-air drug market, is the epicenter of this epidemic.
The video, posted on TikTok by thebizzleeffect, depicts a harrowing scene. Numerous individuals, seemingly under the influence of drugs, are sprawled barefoot on the unclean ground or slumped over. Some struggle to maintain their balance, their bodies seemingly beyond their control. Others are unconscious on random stoops or within the numerous makeshift homeless encampments scattered throughout the crime-infested neighborhood.
The streets of Kensington are strewn with piles of garbage, some ablaze. Amid this chaos, men and women grappling with severe drug addiction fight for survival. Many of Kensington's residents, appearing akin to zombies, lack tents and sleep directly on the ground amidst heaps of waste. Their scant possessions are crammed into plastic bags, shopping carts, backpacks, or laundry baskets. Some appear to own nothing more than the dirty clothes they wear.
According to Frank Rodriguez, a former heroin addict turned activist, desperate business owners in Kensington have resorted to unconventional methods for protection. "There are businesses that set up sprinkler systems, so they can just be inside and hit a button and the sprinkler system goes off," Rodriguez told Fox News.
This alarming video underscores the failure of Democratic-controlled Philadelphia to curb the rising use of the drug Xylazine, commonly known as "tranq." This potent horse and cattle sedative is used to amplify the effects of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The drug's danger is such that Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, labeled it an "emerging threat" earlier this year.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, individuals who inject drug mixtures laced with "tranq" can develop severe wounds, including necrosis the rotting of flesh potentially leading to amputation. City data reveals that Xylazine was found in over 90% of drug samples tested in Philadelphia in 2021.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy visited Kensington in July, sharing footage from his trip. He wrote, "The people I met in Kensington, PA, couldn't care less if you had an R or D next to your name. Fentanyl, Violence and homelessness are the problem. That's what we show up to fix. America First."
Philadelphia health officials have previously admitted that the "City of Brotherly Love" has been overwhelmed by the "tranq" epidemic. "Xylazine has hit Philadelphia particularly hard, causing increased overdose deaths as well as severe wounds that can lead to sepsis and amputation," the Philadelphia Department of Health and Board of Health stated in a joint statement in April.
In response, Philadelphia's Opioid Response Unit unveiled an action plan in April to combat the "tranq" crisis. The plan involves reaching out to local communities to enhance prevention, partnering with schools and places of worship to promote anti-drug messaging, expanding access to treatment programs, and collaborating with law enforcement agencies to disrupt the open-air drug market.
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