Kensington,
covered
A daily struggle There is an epidemic that plagues the Kensington Neighborhood of Philadelphia. It emerges at night, sprayed, drawn and etched upon the city’s surfaces. Authors stake their claim on the area through small tags, branding the businesses, street signs and sidewalks. Jim Imbrenda is the original owner of Phil’s Appliance Repair, located at 2802 Kensington Avenue. The store is lined with pristine white appliances – untouched washers, dryers and refrigerator models create a stark juxtaposition to the windows that lie just behind them. “It’s illegible,” Imbrenda shouted, clearly exhibiting frustration at the graffiti that plasters his storefront. Each of the five window panels is either tagged, or shiftily repaired with duct tape from a latenight fight that had broken out on the Avenue.
For 39 years, Imbrenda has been cleaning graffiti off his storefront at least twice a week. The idea of removing the windows entirely has been floated, but isn’t a feasible option. “I get disgusted, that’s why I ain’t doing nothing to my windows,” Imbrenda said. “If I get rid of the windows and I put up boards, no one would be able to see in and I would get robbed. This way they can look in here and don’t bother us.” As a business owner and member of the community, Imbrenda has noticed a change in the area. Under the pale blue steel of the elevated Market-Franford Line, shadows are cast onto the avenue. In its cool darkness illegal activity runs rampant; horror stories of prostitution, gun violence and drug abuse paint the media portrayal of Kensington. “This area was good 20 years ago, but now they got all kinds of people,” Imbrenda said. “The junkies – they sell drugs so [the city] has cops standing all around here. That don’t bother me. If they come on my corner, I chase them. They get mad but I figure I don’t care.”
“They’re degenerates!” Imbrenda’s daughter and business partner Susan called out from the other side of the store while assisting a customer. The storefront that lies in a constant state of destruction doesn’t affect business, Imbrenda said, but he is tired of it. Regular customers keep the business running, but newcomers may be discouraged by the daunting appearance of the building. “If they were artists and they did pictures on the wall that would be different but they just scribble. But they don’t know any better and they follow the leader,” Imbrenda observed. “That’s not art, they don’t even spell it right. I clean it up all the time but you can’t clean that stuff off. I just replaced the window over here and they graffitied on it,” Imbrenda said, pointing towards a brand new window panel that had been replaced earlier that week. “They get drunk and they fight. Two girls and a guy were fighting [outside], he put her head right through the window. “ - Text and images by Brianna Spause