Because it’s all street sales and Kensington is like a 3rd world country. Seriously, it’s an absolute embarrassment, and the by-product of progressive city leadership. Not much phases me anymore, but every time I’m forced to pass through that part of the city, I’m literally sick to my stomach. Heroin junkies everywhere. Normalized behavior like shitting/pissing in the street, needles/caps everywhere, slumped over zombies, just a nightmare. Genuinely feel bad for the good folks that live there. Can’t imagine raising kids there.
I’d imagine the drug trade is more linked to the Dominican organizations in West Kensington. I doubt the local wise guys have any interest in getting involved with them. Just my opinion…
Not worth the risk. The Dominican and Puerto Rican dealers over there would just start blasting away at anyone trying to tax them, never mind a wiseguy or not, without thinking about any consequences. They'd get busted and there'd be others like them taking their spot the very next day.
The Philly mob taxed other criminal organizations, like the Irish and the Greeks, but these were local OC groups that were not as big as the mob and they were more calculating criminals in the way that they made more of a cost-benefit analysis before getting into action. They eventually figured that working with the Italians - who had more manpower and most importantly more resourceful connections - would still be more profitable than going against them.
Drug trafficking gangs don't care about any of that. They'd shoot anyone and anybody and getting arrested or killed as a consequence doesn't mean anything to them because they literally get busted or killed all the time.
They’d never convince the Dominicans to pay street tax. Through violence or other means. They got the numbers and they got tons of kids who don’t give a fuck and have nothing to lose. LCN means nothing to them other than respecting the movies and shit. Kensington is a depressing place. That whole area around there. It’s like an episode of the wire under the El stations. People nodding off everywhere. Literally everywhere you turn. Hard way to make a living.
