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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 V

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