How Bad was New York City during the crack epidemic? (Morris: low crime, hotel)

[NYmasters]

Originally Posted by queensgrl

Here's a video clip of Queens 1980 - 1981. It wasn't bad everywhere.

Flushing Depot - In the Groove 1980 - 1981 - YouTube

Is is true the older subways - the older subway fleet r16 trains- the lights would dim or go out for a moment and come? and nice video

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by NYmasters

Did you see the video of the subways? i posted

i DID.

I used to ride 4/5 trains all the time.

N/RR is enough to make one want to kill oneself, the N was local for about 10 years because the bridge work never got done.

sweatty all summer ling in a shirt and tie.

[queensgrl]

Originally Posted by NYmasters

Is is true the older subways - the older subway fleet r16 trains- the lights would dim or go out for a moment and come? and nice video

Yes, the lights did blink.

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by queensgrl

Yes, the lights did blink.

yes, i remember that....one car would go black, then the next and all the way down the line...


that was always fun.

oh what memories.

[bigjake54]

Originally Posted by bigjake54

For a look the drop in reported crimes since '93, click on any precinct & then on Crime Statistics:
NYPD - Precincts

1990: New York Killings Set a Record, While Other Crimes Fell in 1990 - New York Times
2,245 homicides, 100,280 robberies, 147,123 motor-vehicle thefts
1991: 678,855 reported felonies. 2011: 106,000 Crime is climbing, but should New Yorkers worry? - NYPOST.com

Crime totals for the past 12 years:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloa..._2000_2011.pdf

[makossa]

The crack era, it's.......


R.L.Burnside - it's bad you know - YouTube

[NYmasters]

Originally Posted by queensgrl

Yes, the lights did blink.

i would kill the mta if they return the redbird fleet only retrofit with a/c anything else stays hl

[usedtobeanyer]

You would have gotten your behind whooped if you walked "into" the Hells Angels building.

Originally Posted by citylove101

Tompkins Sq park was overrun with homeless people, weird anarchists, and rats.
I was approached several times by girls who couldnt be older than 15 asking me if I wanted to "party."
I was looking for a friend once and accidentally wandered into the headquarters of the Hell's Angels, who had an entire apartment building to themselves.
I guess my street smart kicked in 'cause something didn't feel quite right with all the dogs barking behind closed doors and the rampant smell of weed. I left after a few minutes.
My uptstairs neighbor in my walk up studio -- which now rents for near $2000 a month -- kept trying to seduce me even though I let her know I knew that she was really a man. The beard and Adam's Apple sort of gave it away.
Nobody's building (that I knew) had a lock on the front door.
Two of my friends from then worked in the sex industry and both eventually died of AIDS.
And of course the naked knife-wielding man running down Second Ave covered with blood was one of the high points.
I was friends with a woman who made ends meet by regularly selling her menstrual blood to a witch's coven.
Everybody talked about where they would live if they ever made any money as artists, actors , filmmakers or writers.
And everybody was high nearly all the time.

That enough?

[bluesaw]

To the OP

The last time I visited NYC was 1989. I never used drugs myself. The city was fun and unlike any other place I had been. I saw crime and scammers everywhere! It was like everyone was running some kind of scam. I looked like an out of towner. The food, restaurants and shopping was awesome and the people had a lot of character. I did not see any guns or violence but it was definitely scary at night. We stayed near Times Square and there were areas littered with drug parphanelia on the ground. I did see people openly using drugs on the street. It felt somewhat lawless to me but I managed to survive!

I would like to visit again and see how it has changed.

[Gettingouttahere]

NY was great and a pain in the ass, all at the same time. I lived in S.I., then Brklyn, from '85 to 92. I drove everywhere, which I loved. You can't do that anymore....

I had an old Camaro -- urban assault vehicle -- so battered and banged up that taxis got out of my way.

I left when I'd had enough of the pain in the ass part. My car was broken into for the umpteenth time and the crack addicts ripped out the back seats to steal the change on the floor. Serious.

That was it for me; I moved to the 'boken. I work in NY now but no way would I live here again. I like my space too much; my bathroom now is bigger than my living room was back then.