A Brit who visited America’s “most dangerous neighbourhood” has admitted he wasn’t prepared for what he saw.
Wendall, who has more than 110,000 subscribers on YouTube, visits areas deemed “rough” in the UK and across the world to see what they are really like.
One of his recent videos saw him head to Kensington, a neighbourhood in the city of Philadelphia.
He said “in many people’s minds, [it is] the worst hood in the US”, explaining it would be “different gravy” and “more dangerous” compared to the videos he’s made in the UK.
Wendall met with local YouTuber Jeff, a former drug user who himself makes videos showcasing what the area is really like, to show him around.
Before they ventured into Kensington, Jeff told Wendall: “You are about to witness absolute chaos, and madness, and lawlessness. It’s going to be crazy. It’s kind of hard to explain it to somebody who’s never been there.”
On the drive in, Jeff told Wendall to expect to see people just “laying on the street” due to Xylazine, a sedative drug known as Tranq that has become a major issue in the neighbourhood. Fentanyl is another massive problem there, he said.
“I prepared for what I was going to see, but already my heart has sunk,” Wendall said as they drove past people slumped on the streets. “It’s already made me upset, I’ve turned the camera away.”
Jeff then introduced Wendall to some users. One woman told him: “Once you get hooked on them [the drugs] it’s not just mentally trying to get away from this place, it’s like a force that pulls you back and you can’t really go far.
“I want to see my family and friends but I always have to be close to here because it’s like instant withdrawal, and you get addicted to the lifestyle out here.”
She also explained what the drug withdrawals were like, adding: “You can’t lay still, you can’t rest. It hurts to do the drugs but it hurts to withdraw.”
A man explained he had been living there for four years. He told Wendall every day was “survival of the fittest”. He said: “You gotta do what you gotta do to get money to get high.”
Carrying on with their drive, Jeff and Wendall came across an ambulance parked up. Jeff suggested the first responders were likely attending an overdose. Close by, there was a man angrily gesturing at his reflection in a window.
Jeff explained: “A lot of people down here are dealing with mental health issues. I’d say about 80% of the people here. Even if they were to stop taking drugs, they would still need help.”
As they pulled up in another spot, Wendall said: “Quite clearly there’s dealers everywhere. It’s very obvious, and to me that’s what feels the most dangerous about what we’re doing at the moment […] this is without doubt the sketchiest place I’ve ever made content.” Jeff told him that almost everyone in the area is armed, either with a gun or something else.
The pair went on to visit a rehab recovery centre, where addicts live in-house. One told them that getting onto the program had certainly “improved” her life, but she noted: “It’s very hard being in Kensington and trying to be sober.” She also spoke of regular shootings, including one in which a bullet had grazed her friend’s arm. It happened in a spot Wendall had visited on his trip.
Concluding his video, Wendall told his subscribers: “I thought I was prepared for the sights and hellscape that is Kensington – but I wasn’t. It’s deeply affected me.”
WARNING: Video below contains distressing content…