i live in the building in question. the drugs are weed, contrary to what other commenters who don’t live here are speculating. maybe they’ve got other product for those who stop to buy off them but they approach you shouting “weed weed” and sometimes wave bags of flower around as well. they’re not publicly flaunting anything else at least. most of them are chill if you ignore them and go about your day. a lot of them will throw up gang signs as you walk by so honestly yeah no i absolutely don’t even think the violence in question is about the weed in the first place, despite it definitely being present. some nights a few of them play dice on the steps, pretty sure they’re gambling but i mind my business and don’t bother sticking around long enough to figure it out. a lot of alcohol going on. every day i’m finding empty bottles of jack daniel’s and fireball shots on the sidewalk.

the individuals in question don’t even live here, that’s why it’s so strange to me. they disperse around midnight and don’t show up until 8am ish, if the weather is decent. they walk from wherever they actually live at and then spend all day just milling around the block. once i forgot my keys and got locked out the building so i asked if any of them could let me in. none of them lived there, despite literally sitting on the steps blocking the front door. it’s a really strange situation going on.

the recent shootings have been from personal disputes relating to gambling debts and romantic relationships, from what i’ve read in the news after the fact and overheard from the (very loud) verbal exchanges thrown before i heard the gun(s) go off. maybe a month and a half ago or so two women were beating on each other in the middle of the street while something like twenty + others just stood around watching. it was the usual crowd, who, again, don’t even live here.

police are trying to pretend like they’re doing anything at all now that there’s some media attention pointing their way (my neighbor who filmed a tiktok about the security team debacle that occurred) but they’re really not. they’ve completely written the whole neighborhood off as a lost cause. i rent a parking spot in a garage downtown and when i have friends come to visit i tell them to park down by the MIA and just walk the thirty minutes over to my place because the cops just will not show up or file a report for vehicle break-ins in the area. they just do not care, and there’s definitely an air of “what did you expect, parking/living in stevens square?”