CNN

Community leaders celebrate transformation of notorious drug corner

By CNN

Published August 22, 2025 9:58 am

KYW

By Madeleine Wright, Sean Tallant

PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Rodney Harris runs a barbershop at the intersection of 52nd and Arch streets, a place he said was once plagued by violence.

“It was too much — the drugs, the rape, the robbery, murders,” Harris said. “This is where I live at, so this is like my home. We have to endure the regular, everyday struggle.”

But on Thursday, city leaders and community members gathered at 52nd and Arch Street to mark a major milestone. Officials said the area has undergone a dramatic transformation, thanks in part to a long-running grassroots initiative called the Belmont Safety Model.

“When you see a block and see a community that is suffering, that is embattled, that no one wants to come to, you gotta give those folks some courage, State Senator Vincent Hughes said during a news conference at the site.

Launched in 2014, the Belmont Safety Model targets gun violence and drug activity by addressing the root causes. While city leaders did not provide crime statistics, they said conditions at 52nd and Arch have significantly improved.

“Drug dealers would sit in one of the overgrown vacant lots, abandoned properties or a dark alley listening to music, grilling and relaxing as they relied on illegal electrical connections to sell drugs and breed violence,” Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said.

To reclaim the space, the city partnered with community groups to board up abandoned buildings, fence off vacant lots, add surveillance cameras, improve street lighting and increase police patrols.

“We have to come into the community and let them know we’re not here to lock you up,” Peter Wilson, president of the Philadelphia Community Outreach Corporation, said. “We’re here to wake you up.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker called the effort a model for proactive public safety strategies.

“This is cause for celebration,” the mayor said.

The corner — located just steps from the busy 52nd Street SEPTA Station — now stands as a symbol of what can happen when communities, city officials and local organizations work together. But for longtime residents like Harris, the job isn’t finished.

“Progress in the making,” Harris said. “But it’s baby steps.”

City officials said they hope to replicate the model across more neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

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