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crack epidemic ended really mid 90's. 90 was a peak year. By the end of Dinkins admin crime was starting to go downward.
The crack epidemic started to end when Guilliani took over and started to crack down on drugs, organized crime and so forth.
He was a good mayor. I give him alot of credit for turning around Time Square by getting Disney to set up shop there which influenced other BIG companies to follow suit and getting rid of all the porn shops that attracted a certain type of crowd that contributed to the negative vibe Time Square had.
The early 90s were a tough time for the city, as many people who stuck it out during the 70s and 80s gave up in the early 90s..they had enough. Some of my family were those people..they had enough and left..and never looked back...and I don't blame them. My typical day was walking to the train, stepping on crack viles, passing empty lot after empty lot, with druggies wandering about at 8am (they had been up all night and a few days in many cases). And that seemed normal to me! All the parks were off limits due to crime, drug use, and littered with used syringes. Riding the trains were okay, so long as you were not doing it in the evening/late at night. I remember so many times when we would be stopped at a light, and see prostitutes/drug addict moms dragging 3 kids around begging for money. Very few people worked, so people just hung out all day in the streets, loitering, throwing garbage everywhere, etc. There was an overall negative atmosphere during the early 90s.
When did crack stop being popular? I realize the epidemic is not what it once was, but it is still out there, with the presence of other drugs as well. In my opinion NY asthetically looks better, it is more appealing to come here now, but is it really any different. Yes, I do believe that there are plenty of murders, assaults, burglaries and a slew of other crimes that take place that are not jotted down for the census. There a many of you who will disagree, but Koch(sp?) really helped the city with programs that would help get people out of their impoverished state. Look at those statistics. Gulliani made the city look pretty, but is it really as nice as people think? Let's ask the residents of East NY????
It is MONUMENTALLY different. Of course you may not notice why because when you walked through Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue back then they were still nice...the real difference is in all those neighborhoods tourists NEVER went to but the real NYC residents lived in. Instead of just spending all its money and investment on making a few touristy places nice and ignoring the rest of the city, the city has learned to invest across the board, and improve ALL neighborhoods. So the effects to you, as a tourist, might not be visible, but the increased safety and much improved quality of life across the board has done wonders for residents of NYC.
It is MONUMENTALLY different. Of course you may not notice why because when you walked through Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue back then they were still nice...the real difference is in all those neighborhoods tourists NEVER went to but the real NYC residents lived in. Instead of just spending all its money and investment on making a few touristy places nice and ignoring the rest of the city, the city has learned to invest across the board, and improve ALL neighborhoods. So the effects to you, as a tourist, might not be visible, but the increased safety and much improved quality of life across the board has done wonders for residents of NYC.
I wouldn't go quite THAT far. The city has only improved neighborhoods that are beneficial to them. Harlem, Bushwick, Clinton Hills, Williamsburg, Ft. Green all have one thing in common. These areas are not as expensive as a loft right next to central park and they're within proximity to downtown Manhattan, Midtown etc. As a result, hipsters and white-collar workers are flocking to those city to neighborhoods eager for convience and a happening neighborhood. Once again the poor suffer as middle class/lower income families have little to no defense politically or economically against developers who buy up there apartments and turn them into luxury condos and lofts.
Justfarr...you are looking at the glass as half empty. The reason crime rates are down has alot to do with the fact that the city is not shunning communities. Does this mean every community is getting its fair share of attention/investment? No..the city knows that it cannot sustain some communities and abandon others...we are still living with the effect of those policies today. People will always complain....they complain when the city does not invest in communities "racist" they shout. Then the city puts money into communities and it becomes nicer, and inevitably rents go up...and what do people shout? You guessed it.. "racist"! You can't win...and I could care less whether people believe the city is being racist or not, the fact remains these communities NEED all the investment they can get. You cannot have all of the benefits and none of the downsides....life is not fair. Welcome to adulthood.
Justfarr...you are looking at the glass as half empty. The reason crime rates are down has alot to do with the fact that the city is not shunning communities. Does this mean every community is getting its fair share of attention/investment? No..the city knows that it cannot sustain some communities and abandon others...we are still living with the effect of those policies today. People will always complain....they complain when the city does not invest in communities "racist" they shout. Then the city puts money into communities and it becomes nicer, and inevitably rents go up...and what do people shout? You guessed it.. "racist"! You can't win...and I could care less whether people believe the city is being racist or not, the fact remains these communities NEED all the investment they can get. You cannot have all of the benefits and none of the downsides....life is not fair. Welcome to adulthood.
With all due respect Sobro, I'm all for the bringing economic vitality to a neighborhood but not at the expense of the people. The notion that this cannot be accomplished without displacing the original residents is one of the biggest fallacies known to man.
Sobro - I have to tell you I come from a family in uniform and crime just isn't advertised the way it once was it is still there and very pronounced in certain areas. The public knows basically what is available to the news, which whether you would like to believe it or not is not a whole lot. For instance there were 5 murders last week did you here about them??
When did crack stop being popular? I realize the epidemic is not what it once was, but it is still out there, with the presence of other drugs as well. In my opinion NY asthetically looks better, it is more appealing to come here now, but is it really any different. Yes, I do believe that there are plenty of murders, assaults, burglaries and a slew of other crimes that take place that are not jotted down for the census. There a many of you who will disagree, but Koch(sp?) really helped the city with programs that would help get people out of their impoverished state. Look at those statistics. Gulliani made the city look pretty, but is it really as nice as people think? Let's ask the residents of East NY????
So what you're saying is let's not look at the statistics for something we don't believe, but when we do believe something, let's prove our point by looking at statistics?
And regarding the crack "epidemic" -- how do you define epidemic? If an epidemic is something that involves rapid spread or growth (one definition; there are others) then when the numbers fall way back and there is no longer spreading or growth, it is probably not considered an epidemic any more. Just a thought.
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