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In 1929, NY was 95% white. Curious how things where then and what sort of crime took place then.
1929 was the heyday of mafia bootleggers in the lower east side, harlem, and little Italy. Italian, Irish, Black, and Jewish mafia were all preying on their own neighborhoods and constantly murdering each other in the streets, often with innocent bystanders getting sprayed by tommy guns. Many hardened vets from WW1 resorted to a life of crime. There was no social safety net like today for the VA (lacking as it is) so they became criminals. The conditions in these neighborhoods rivaled that of modern day Calcutta. Most buildings lacked basic sanitation and people lived crammed together in tenement housing. You can actually see old black and white photos of these places.
1929 was the heyday of mafia bootleggers in the lower east side, harlem, and little Italy. Italian, Irish, Black, and Jewish mafia were all preying on their own neighborhoods and constantly murdering each other in the streets, often with innocent bystanders getting sprayed by tommy guns. Many hardened vets from WW1 resorted to a life of crime. There was no social safety net like today for the VA (lacking as it is) so they became criminals. The conditions in these neighborhoods rivaled that of modern day Calcutta. Most buildings lacked basic sanitation and people lived crammed together in tenement housing. You can actually see old black and white photos of these places.
Cool.. Thanks for history lesson. I imagined it would be something along those lines.
1929 was the heyday of mafia bootleggers in the lower east side, harlem, and little Italy. Italian, Irish, Black, and Jewish mafia were all preying on their own neighborhoods and constantly murdering each other in the streets, often with innocent bystanders getting sprayed by tommy guns. Many hardened vets from WW1 resorted to a life of crime. There was no social safety net like today for the VA (lacking as it is) so they became criminals. The conditions in these neighborhoods rivaled that of modern day Calcutta. Most buildings lacked basic sanitation and people lived crammed together in tenement housing. You can actually see old black and white photos of these places.
Yes, there were pockets of poverty. My Italian grandfather paid money to the Irish mafia for "protection."
However, most of Brooklyn had pretty one or two family houses. There were well maintained neighborhoods. Schools worked and taught music (including opera) and art. My mother-in-law's high school gym had swim lessons. My mother's family thought Brooklyn heaven because it was so well kept and safe. In the 1950's, my mother said she could ride the subway 24/7. It was that safe!
In the 1960's everything fell apart and Brooklyn was ruin.
I lived on Riverside Drive in around 158 Street. It had been a solid middle class neighborhood with Jewish/German/Irish immigrants.
Long before I got there, it was transformed into Washington Heights as seen in the play/movie. Loud music, drugs, crime and poverty. I didn't mind it as I lived in a safe doorman buildings. I am sure a whole lot of homes lost their value quickly.
1929 was the heyday of mafia bootleggers in the lower east side, harlem, and little Italy. Italian, Irish, Black, and Jewish mafia were all preying on their own neighborhoods and constantly murdering each other in the streets, often with innocent bystanders getting sprayed by tommy guns. Many hardened vets from WW1 resorted to a life of crime. There was no social safety net like today for the VA (lacking as it is) so they became criminals. The conditions in these neighborhoods rivaled that of modern day Calcutta. Most buildings lacked basic sanitation and people lived crammed together in tenement housing. You can actually see old black and white photos of these places.
Great, thank you for sharing this information. Do you know any good books/documentaries/videos that speak to this? I feel like there are a good number of mafia related books and documentaries about 1920s in the United States, however nothing NYC specific. Would love to hear your or anyone else's thoughts.
You'd have to be dumb as hell to think that modern-day NYC is anything like Detroit. Well, I say dumb as hell, but I mean: just another dime-a-dozen sorry racist whining on a message board.
It could happen, not sure it will. Right now Minneapolis is 100% becoming Detroit, and Seattle / San Fran are likely to follow. NYC has a way of isolating in neighborhoods though, but those bonds like the Italian mafia neighborhoods are no longer as strong
I grew up watching democrats running nyc into the ground. Then Giuliani saved us and unwoke Bloomberg continued it. You don't have to be Nostradamus to predict democrats will screw things up.
It's people like that hypocrite skank AOC that want to see this city burn to ground just so that they can make a name for themselves and become celebrities. That pig was at the Met Galla last night wearing a $10k+ ground that said "tax the rich" at an event that costs over $30k a plate. She can't possibly see how the rich are the ones that are funneling all this money through our city and wants to drive them out. The same way she drove out Amazon. That could employed so man people in this city but her and that clown diblazio chased them out. These people are the reason why the city is crumbling.
Digging up this old thread makes me smile. Shortly after Deblasio got elected, I sold my condo in Dumbo because I knew he would eff things up. Made a massive real estate profit. Invested that money in the stock market which shot up like a rocket since 2015 (thank you orange man bad). I'm only 46 and I can retire any time now. Thanks Deblasio!
Digging up this old thread makes me smile. Shortly after Deblasio got elected, I sold my condo in Dumbo because I knew he would eff things up. Made a massive real estate profit. Invested that money in the stock market which shot up like a rocket since 2015 (thank you orange man bad). I'm only 46 and I can retire any time now. Thanks Deblasio!
Put it into Bitcoin before the US dollar collapses
Great, thank you for sharing this information. Do you know any good books/documentaries/videos that speak to this? I feel like there are a good number of mafia related books and documentaries about 1920s in the United States, however nothing NYC specific. Would love to hear your or anyone else's thoughts.
Go to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. They have interactive dioramas and a library's archive worth of old photos. It wasn't just liquor - organized crime was heavily involved in union racketeering, sanitation monopolies, gambling, prostitution, extortion, and gun running. These men were criminal scum but one thing I do admire about them was their sense of style - especially their choice of hats. Nobody dresses like that anymore.
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