Depressing sight from birthplace of American independence

Disturbing photos have revealed Philadelphia's drugs crisis, with homeless people shooting up on the streets of the birthplace of American independence over the Fourth of July weekend.

The Kensington neighborhood, 'ground zero' for the city's drug epidemic, is seen strewn with trash and addicts injecting drugs in the middle of the day.

The disaster has been fueled by the rise of the drug Xylazine, known as 'tranq' - a lethal sedative that is used to enhance the effects of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.