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.
There should be a couple of hecklers in the background every time Biff writes corny post.
BTW – Chris Rock, grew up in Crown Heights and also Bed Sty.
Not sure about Chappelle – I don’t think so.
BTW – two of my favorite living stand-up comics.
“desperate people do desperate things like rob your pasty ass to feed themselves.”
Honestly, if gangs of desperate unemployed investment bankers are going to start roaming the north slope trying to scrape up enough cash to order omakase at Nobu, I think we can take them.
I’ll try not to hurt them too much, but if I find out one of them was responsible for the “$140 per barrel oil is cheap and I have a $250 price target for 2008” garbage, I may have to get in a few kicks to the ribs before the cops get there.
true, gkw.. if i lost my job today i’d have zero savings and wouldnt be able to afford january rent (i just paid december rent. woo woo). would i turn to ripping people off and stealing? absolutely not. people who generally resort to stealing and mugging are people who generally were never employed to begin with with an ingrained systemic belief system that is almost sociopathic. im almost certain that if worst came to worst i could survive without resorting to low level criminal behavior. i believe that nyc won’t become like it did in the 70s because of the internet. as weird as that sounds, i know.. but a lot of people KNOW about what is going on and there is much more talk about it. it doesnt just creep up on you like it must have back in the day.
*rob*
Oh, wasder, despite the fact I’ll undoubtedly be the recipient of way more “mwahhh, mwahhh, mwahhhs” than any other poster, I would wholeheartedly agree to include that as well. Since a couple of people have commented recently about this blog jumping the shark, it might be appropriate to eventually go to the sounds of a live audience, like Happy Days did in the later seasons.
Biff–that actually is beyond genius. Couldn’t be too hard. There would need to be some “mwahhh, mwahhh, mwahhhs” as well for posts that didn’t meet the standard.
“Pasty? Are you talking about a Cornish pasty?”
*sounds of canned laughter*
Pasty? Are you talking about a Cornish pasty?
Speaking of ’70s sitcoms, I think during these rough times, Mr. B should consider enhancing the site with a laugh track that would automatically be set off for every post. It would give us instant gratification and smiles and make us feel like we’re the next Chris Rock. Just imagine the hilarity that’ll ensue when, after all the comments here about rising crime, SnarkSlope jumps in with one of his zingers involving the entrance of a hot cop to the left of the stage and we then all get to hear the Leave it to Beaver-esque canned laughter.
Let’s bring laughter back in our lives.
Good call BRG. That is why I loves me some “30 Rock”