Headed Back to the 1970s in Bed Stuy and Beyond?
“The economic crises of the early 1970s overwhelmed New York City,” writes James Doran in the British newspaper The Guardian. “The stock market crashed, oil prices plunged and unemployment soared.” Now that we’re rewriting that same scenario, will the same crime wave surge again? The article zeroes in on Bed-Stuy, the domain of Frank Serpico…
“The economic crises of the early 1970s overwhelmed New York City,” writes James Doran in the British newspaper The Guardian. “The stock market crashed, oil prices plunged and unemployment soared.” Now that we’re rewriting that same scenario, will the same crime wave surge again? The article zeroes in on Bed-Stuy, the domain of Frank Serpico who would be wowed and disoriented by the million-dollar brownstones of the neighborhood today. “Crime has dropped dramatically over 30 years and continues to show strong reductions,” in the area. But what will happen now that we’ve got a billion dollar budget gap and a 5,000-man reduction in the police department? “There were 455 murders in New York City in the year to 16 November compared with 429 in the same period last year, an increase of 6 per cent,” they write. “And this is just the beginning of New York’s woes. The slump is expected to take a big toll on a city which relies on the financial services sector for some 10 per cent of its overall tax revenue. Add to that the amount of money that is pumped into the economy by wealthy bankers and financial traders who until recently were buying mansions and luxury cars and eating at expensive restaurants with abandon, and it soon becomes obvious that New York City is bankrolled by Wall Street.” Commissioner Kelly told the City Council yesterday that it would be a real challenge to keep crime down. On the jump, a handy comparison of 1970 NYC and now.
New York Fears Return of Dark Days [The Guardian]
Photo by csamperezbedos.
1970s:
• Price of a subway ride – 30 cents in 1970 to 80 cents by 1979
• Price of a hot dog in Coney Island $1
• Top TV shows – All in the Family, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley
• Millions move out to the suburbs in the great urban flight
• Economy so bad that 3,000 are arrested for looting during a blackout
2008:
• Price of a subway ride $2
• Price of a hot dog at Nathan’s in Coney Island $3.20
• Top TV Shows – Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Heroes
• Millions move back to old city neighborhoods left derelict for a generation
• Economy so bad that mayor Michael Bloomberg demands a third term.
travy, a lot of people who used to just smoke weed and dabble in coke here and there have turned pretty hardcore onto meth in the last few years. it’s a ton cheaper and much easier to make and get. if you think the crack epidemic was bad, you would not even begin to want to see what a meth epidemic would cause. im actually pretty shocked this issue is put on the back burner and doesnt seem to be addressed much in the media. meth is not just for gays and hillbillies anymore. seriously.
*rob*
let me add that i don’t think we will return to 70’s levels of crime unless some new drug epidemic hits. i mean, fort greene was a warzone not that long ago and i don’t think anyone thinks that’s coming back.
further, i think the uptick in muggings and property crimes will occur in nicer neighborhoods as well as the recently gentrified because that’s where the money is, yo. 🙂
Of FAR FAR bigger concern to those who actually know something about crime prevention is not that unemployment=higher crime BUT lower tax revenues=cuts in prison funding; resulting in early release/parole programs for violent felons.
In fact the number of paroles have increased sharply under Spitzer/Patterson (probably not having to do with $) and with the budget shortfalls coming, expect to see some very large, violent and angry men return to the streets from which they came (which means more coming to Bed-Stuy then Brooklyn Heights)
Again the societal factors that led to NYC in 1977 just arent present but if there is a risk of higher crime it comes from past felons – and even this is avoidable if people demand that the one thing that can’t be allowed is lawlessness.
brownstone era was 1840-1910 +/-… Park Slope, Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant brownstone came along the same time in the 1880s and 1890s. Many of the same builders and architects built both areas. Ft. Greene/Clinton Hill and most of downtown is from the generation before 1860s- 1870s. We all have seen antiques road show and how the prices are on there… buying these old houses is like buying one big antique.
That article seems to take an almost pornographic interest in seeing more crime. God, the amount of time people spend wishing/dreaming about those years is unreal. Who’s the most envied class of person in New York? Not the Broadway star or corporate mogul, but the person who lived here all through the “gritty years.”
Rising unemployment might result in more shoplifting. But the notion that a heretofore law-abiding adult is going to start mugging people because he is out of work is ludicrous.
gkw- some of these sociopaths of which you speak have gotten jobs over the years and have cut back on their robbin’ and stealin’. these low level jobs will be the first to go and then when desperation sets in they will do what they have to do to survive–not to mention judgment impaired teenagers whose parents have lost jobs and want a little change in their pockets are going to be acting out more.
how you can argue that higher unemployment in working class neighborhoods (ones dotted with upper class gentrifiers no less) does not equal higher crime is beyond me.
but whatever. there will be some amazing deals near the projects in the coming months. a buying opportunity for someone like you if i’ve ever seen one…
momo284…”These million dollar brownstones were built in the 1920’s or earlier for only 10k. How can a house built 90 to 100+ years ago be so valuable” Maybe brownstoner.com isn’t for you!!!
Maybe the issue is not crime. These million dollar brownstones were built in the 1920’s or earlier for only 10k. Why is it that everything depreciates except old brownstones. How can a house built 90 to 100+ years ago be so valuable. Maybe the asshat’s who purchased at a such an over inflated price will return to the cornfields where they came from. I doubt if anyone will be able to go back to where they came from so just deal with it, and stop asking what if…