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That's a drastic change in a short period of time. And unfortunatly, the decay of Harlem started when the majority took over and neglected their community and turn it into SLUMS.
That's a drastic change in a short period of time. And unfortunatly, the decay of Harlem started when the majority took over and neglected their community and turn it into SLUMS.
It began in the 50's with Levittown LI. The working class wanted more space and cleaner environments. During the 70's and 80's many retirees moved south to Florida. During the early 90's crime rates spiked in NY and that was the nail in the coffin. Many working class whites left for safer ground to NJ, L.I., upstate NY and Pennsylvania. After Guiliani cleaned things up whites returned but they weren't New Yorkers, they were from suburbia America and hence the gentrification process kicked in full throttle. I recall growing up in Queens and Brooklyn as a kid in the 70's and 80's, there were still neighborhood butchers, bakers, fruit markets, and bars on every street corner. Most of them are gone now, replaced by cell phone stores, barber shops (that seem to attract an undesirable crowd), Dunkin Donuts, drug stores, and over priced convenience stores. I remember the old Germans who lived in NY, they kept their stoops and sidewalks so clean you could eat off them.
It began in the 50's with Levittown LI. The working class wanted more space and cleaner environments. During the 70's and 80's many retirees moved south to Florida. During the early 90's crime rates spiked in NY and that was the nail in the coffin. Many working class whites left for safer ground to NJ, L.I., upstate NY and Pennsylvania. After Guiliani cleaned things up whites returned but they weren't New Yorkers, they were from suburbia America and hence the gentrification process kicked in full throttle. I recall growing up in Queens and Brooklyn as a kid in the 70's and 80's, there were still neighborhood butchers, bakers, fruit markets, and bars on every street corner. Most of them are gone now, replaced by cell phone stores, barber shops (that seem to attract an undesirable crowd), Dunkin Donuts, drug stores, and over priced convenience stores. I remember the old Germans who lived in NY, they kept their stoops and sidewalks so clean you could eat off them.
Your description of Queens and Brooklyn sounds like Morrisania Bronx, before the late 70's. I remember when most NYC neighborhoods where like this no matter what racial or ethnic group lived there.
It began in the 50's with Levittown LI. The working class wanted more space and cleaner environments. During the 70's and 80's many retirees moved south to Florida. During the early 90's crime rates spiked in NY and that was the nail in the coffin. Many working class whites left for safer ground to NJ, L.I., upstate NY and Pennsylvania. After Guiliani cleaned things up whites returned but they weren't New Yorkers, they were from suburbia America and hence the gentrification process kicked in full throttle. I recall growing up in Queens and Brooklyn as a kid in the 70's and 80's, there were still neighborhood butchers, bakers, fruit markets, and bars on every street corner. Most of them are gone now, replaced by cell phone stores, barber shops (that seem to attract an undesirable crowd), Dunkin Donuts, drug stores, and over priced convenience stores. I remember the old Germans who lived in NY, they kept their stoops and sidewalks so clean you could eat off them.
Let's not give Guilliani all the credit now, for "cleaning up."
Let's not give Guilliani all the credit now, for "cleaning up."
The generation born in the 40's and 50's were suckered into heroin addiction. In NYC most were children of immigrants and Black people from the south. They didn't know the devastating effect it would have on them and the resulting culture of crime, family dysfunctionality, and poverty.
When the crack epidemic came in most of these addicts switched to this drug, the dealers were suckered into another culture of the same.
Now these addicts are either dead, or too old, to commit the crimes that they committed in the 70's, 80's and early 90's. The younger people today have learned from the mistakes, and are a lot smarter.
Guilliani did a lot but time and technology were all on his side.
Aside from Rudy's aggressive stance on all levels of crime, people weren't spending as much time outdoors to be made victims either. So yes, in that regard he had some help. It's tough to mug people when there are less people on the streets. People started spending more time indoors with cable TV, internet, electronic video games, DVD players etc. Prior to the crack epidemic and the ensuing crime wave, I remember when the streets would be full of neighbors sitting out on summer nights till all hours. During the 90's much of that faded. I had people on my block who got mugged sitting on their own stoops, it got out of control. I watched best friends get shot for nothing.
While I was greatful for Rudy getting tough on crime, I was not a big fan of how he micro-managed the lives of New Yorkers and catered to the likes of Disney and other big corporations.
I wouldn't say people are smarter today or learned from the crack epidemic. Nationwide there is a meth epidemic that far surpasses the crack problem of the 80's and 90's.
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