After spending seven days stationed in Kensington, the Pennsylvania National Guard is no longer in the neighborhood. They were stationed in various places along Kensington Avenue starting June 3 and left on June 9.
“The Guard was brought in to support the Philadelphia Police Department’s response to demonstrations and looting of businesses,” wrote city spokesperson Mike Dunn in an email. “As the PPD no longer requires that external support, the deployment has been demobilized.”
According to a tweet from Mayor Jim Kenney, the National Guard was protecting property in areas where neighborhood businesses and organizations asked the city for additional support after a wave of theft and property damage occurred following protests over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. Businesses on Kensington Avenue were among those that experienced these problems.
Kensington residents had mixed feelings about the soldiers’ presence in the neighborhood, with some for and others against it.
Dunn said that some of the deployment are staying in the Philly area in case they are needed in the next few days.
Kensington Voice is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on economic mobility. Read more at brokeinphilly.org or follow on Twitter at @BrokeInPhilly.
Editor: Jillian Bauer-Reese / Designer: Jillian Bauer-Reese / Translator: N/A
