A revealing documentary delves into one of the most drug-ridden neighborhoods in the United States, with a man who sets out to change the situation.
Filmmaker Peter Santenello ventured to Kensington, Philadelphia, to learn more about its opioid epidemic and in a film documenting his journey, he is seen on a tour with a local man, Buddy Osborn.
After being raised by a single mother in the area with eight siblings, three of whom passed away due to drug-related problems, Buddy now runs a community outreach center and chapel called The Rock.
As Peter and Buddy walk through the trash-strewn streets, they see many people lying on the ground in a coma, and at one point they see a small shrine marking the spot where someone died.
In 2022, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health recorded 1,413 unintentional overdose deaths.
A report from the city of Philadelphia notes that the majority of overdose deaths in the metropolis (57 percent) involved both an opioid such as fentanyl and a stimulant such as cocaine.
Filmmaker Peter Santenello ventured to Kensington, Philadelphia, to learn more about its opioid epidemic.
In a film documenting his journey, he is seen on a tour with a local man, Buddy Osborn.
Meanwhile, xylazine, a veterinary anesthetic and painkiller also known as ‘tranq’, was found in 34 percent of all overdose deaths.
As Peter walks through the streets of Kensington, Buddy confirms that fentanyl and tranquilizers are big problems these days.
Detailing how drug use in the area has changed over the years, he continues: “In the 1970s there was methamphetamine, and then came cocaine in the 1980s, and then came heroin.”
Buddy says he remembers seeing a man shooting up heroin on the street as a kid in the early 1970s using a belt around his arm as a tourniquet.
Five of the children who witnessed the incident became heroin addicts.
One of these people was his brother, who was 12 years old at the time and died from drug problems.
Buddy offers a surprising fact: “They say the average age at which addiction begins is 12, with heroin.”
‘He eventually died… as a result of (heroin). I lost three siblings, two boys and a sister, as a result of complications from drugs in this area.’
In a shocking scene, the two men come across a young woman apparently abandoned on the street.
As Peter and Buddy walk through the trash-strewn streets, they see a small shrine marking the spot where someone died.
In a shocking scene, the two men come across a young woman apparently abandoned on the street. Her mother reappears and explains that she was out shopping and left her with a man.
She is seen sitting in a camping chair with a homeless man next to her. The girl explains that her mother left her while she “went to the adult store” and that she walked down the street several minutes ago.
As Buddy and Peter grow increasingly worried, the girl’s mother reappears.
The woman explains that her daughter will be six next week and the man she left her with is someone she knows.
Revealing how she ended up living on the streets with her son, the woman says: ‘We’re from Boston and… I’ve been going back and forth.
‘I first came to Philadelphia last year. I ended up homeless in Jersey.
“My truck was stolen with my driver’s license, my birth certificate and my social security cards. I’m just trying to get them back.”
Buddy offers to help the woman and tells her she can go to the chapel for food and shelter if she needs it.
Peter turns the camera back on himself and takes a moment to thank Buddy for his time.
He tells viewers: ‘Buddy has been amazing in helping us all get through this situation.’
‘He obviously knows the neighborhood pretty well, but there are definitely dangerous elements here.
A report from the city of Philadelphia notes that the majority of overdose deaths in the metropolis (57 percent) involved both an opioid such as fentanyl and a stimulant such as cocaine.
Buddy says the biggest problem in Kensington is that homeless people have been allowed to live and take over the streets.
‘And I strongly recommend that no one comes just to walk around like that.
‘I mean, most people just have drug habits and, you know, they need help.
‘That’s the story. But there are people who deal drugs and commit crimes, and those are the situations you have to stay away from.
“And so far we’ve done a good job of showing them the story.”
Buddy says the biggest problem in Kensington is that homeless people have been allowed to live there and take over the streets.
But offering a ray of hope, he says Philadelphia’s current mayor, Cherelle Parker, has made some changes and “it’s gotten worse.”
She concludes: “She sees the problem and is looking for a solution.”
‘The solution is for the mayor to do her job, the prosecutor to do his job, the police commissioner to do his job and the police to do their job.
“Let us do our job and when we work together, we join forces and help people.”
To date, Peter’s film has been viewed over 3.5 million times, with many viewers applauding Buddy’s work and sharing their own stories related to drug addiction.
One commenter wrote: ‘Buddy is an angel. He could have moved away after the tragic loss of his brothers, but he decided to stay and help people.
“I am moved by your work. Thank you for showing us around.”
Another viewer shared his heartwarming story: “I was on those streets for 25 years. By the grace of God, I’m almost six years clean. I work at the rehab center that saved my life. We got back on our feet.”
