Penn treaty, and the riverside part of Fishtown have always been notorious drug spots.

I agree completely. I just thought your original characterization was a little harsh.

We took a group from our church to Penn Treaty Park for a picnic last Sunday afternoon (Sep 26) and there were people both smoking and smelling weed under the weeping willow tree at the water's edge.

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That sounds practically poetic . . . under the weeping willow tree, the Fishtown druggies sat.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

I occasionally come across people smoking marijuanna while walking around the neighborhood. I've also seen folks smoking at Penn Treaty. I've seen it in Rittenhouse Square, the park near the Liberty Bell Pavillion, Penns Landing... I could go on. The point is that just because people are smoking doesn't mean a specific area is overrun with drugs. I often question the illegality of marijuanna anyway, but that's another topic...

I'm not saying Fishtown doesn't have its share of drug problems (which city neighborhood does not?) and I'm not saying it's ok to casually walk around smoking marijuanna, I'm just saying Fishtown is not comepletely overrun with drugs as alluded to above.

Ah, don't put words in my mouth. To say there are no drug sales riverside is to simply be blind and that's what I was reacting to. We certainly have our fair share of drug activity and the blight that seems to follow--and while we see people smoking pot all over the city, we have more of the lurking, suspicious, not friendly kind of drug use with broken glass, crack vials and people simply up to no good.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

I didn't think I was blind to the drug situation in the neighborhood but maybe I am? If things are as bad as you say, we should get some metrics on this situation and get it added to a FNA meeting agenda? maybe we can get more of a police presence at penn treaty.

Hey, let's add them to Palmer Square too.

The problem is that the court system doesn't really deal in any meaningful way with pot smoking or small drug possession. But I digress.

I'd rather have condos than ugly warehouses too. This side of Philly's waterfront is just desolate in large part and merely unused in other parts. The difference between driving in from 95 and driving in from 76 is amazing. One actually makes the city look great (76) and the 95 way makes the area look like the Pittsburgh or Buffalo waterfronts did/do.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

I have seen people smoking weed in Penn Treaty Park and have on one occasion found a bundle of heroin, but in the over 500 times that I've walked my dog or even ate my lunch there, nobody has offered me anything. I think a lot of the people in the cars are just getting a booty call.

As far as riverside goes, even the president of the FNA has personally told me that he does not know of a single drug house on our side of Girard. So I seriously doubt that we are notorious for drug activity. There are dugs everywhere, so why not here...

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Teahead215
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I'm not interested in a pissing contest about which side of Fishtown is better. I could care less. There's plenty of drugs being dealt on the corner of my block. There! My side is worse! Feel better?

I'm talking about where these condos are actually going to be built. Undesirables congregate at the waterfront. Taxpayers don't. I'd like to see that changed.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach