The Bronx Was A 'War Zone' In The 1970s | Street Justice: The Bronx

Street Justice: The Bronx | Tuesdays at 9p
To say the south Bronx was dangerous in the 1970s would be an understatement. Officers in the 41st precinct had their hands full with the violent crimes that took place during that time period.

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[k.de.]

Back in the early 70s, there was a movie filmed in the Bronx called "Not Me", about a pre-teen Hispanic boy who became addicted to heroin. The ending was so sad because he died alone in an abandoned building of a drug overdose . That was the ending. I've never been able to find this movie. It had a powerful message because of what his family went through. Great movie.

[lunarballoonistxo]

My grandfather is Puerto Rican and moved to the Bronx at the start of the sixties. He was only 7 when he moved there but he always says “my neighborhood was rough, they’d beat you up for nothing. I had to learn to fight by the time I was 10. If I didn’t come home in time there’d be no dinner left. I had a job at 10 years old. I would do anything really, even carrying grocery bags. You had to have a job even at that age if you wanted anything for yourself.”
He met my grandma from Brooklyn through my great grandma from carrying grocery bags for them many times. They eventually married at 16 & 18 and by 1977 they moved to Oklahoma for a better life so they could buy a house. That’s how I ended up a Native American Puerto Rican in middle America 🇺🇸

[attila]

I grew up in an area of the Bronx called Soundview back then. Our parents never let us go out and play because the neighborhood was so bad. It was a pandemic of crime.

[joemartin]

The Bronx in the 70's and 80''s makes modern day Detroit look like Beverly Hills.

[pMcgov]

I lived in the Bronx during the 70s, great memories but truly too much crime

[dubbleplus]

I lived across the street from Fort Apache...my father would walk my brother and I into the 41st Precinct on the way to work where he worked as a theatre manager, and before we'd go to the theatre, he'd stop at the detective department, on the 2nd floor to place bets on his numbers with the detectives who ran the numbers rackets. When my heroin addicted brother would get busted by the police, 41st Detectives would come to our door to ask for $200.00 to let him go..mom could not pay so he would do his time at Rikers where we would go to visit him when ever we could. When the drug dealer would come to the corner of Simpson Street and Home Street...the detectives would swoop in, force him into the police car and drive him around the corner and let him out again...without the drugs. Serpico was the real deal...I was an eye witness as a child. Fort Apache (the Movie) was also the real deal, even as it made the neighborhood people look as the bad guys as well. In those days...everyone was the bad guys...drugs and money made it happen.

[oochiewally]

My parents lived in the BX from 1950-1979..they saw the changes...i'm happy they moved to the queens in the 80's which was bad too .being a kid in the 80's although fun was bad that crack epidemic

[Christian_Ada]

My god. I'm 52 years old now. I grew up in the Bronx I remember how horrible it was

[rixille]

The major cities sure got hit hard after the 60's rolled by. Hard to call those places the epicenter of modern civilization when people can't even walk the streets at night without getting accosted.

[canomalo]

Its still bad, only difference is that it doesnt look like a bomb was dropped there.

[DonnellWrites]

And this is the environment that birthed hip hop music.
A rose grew out of concrete.

[anibalcesarnishizk]

Had an East European arrived by chance in the Bronx; he would have said:Jesus!!!;the Soviet army occupied this place also!!!.

[alroman]

I lived in the Soundview Houses in the early 70’s, as a young child at 1711 Lacombe then as a teenager on Randall ave. Yes, it was dangerous, I remember gangs like the Black Spades, Savage Nomads. I rarely walked alone. Studied Shotokan Katate which provided me the confidence to defend myself but I can say I never got jumped. Most residents and gang members knew who the locals were. Most of the crime was committed by drug users. We knew to steer clear of gangs. They were more focused on turf and whatever. I got my street smarts from Soundview which helped me throughout my entire life. I remember one hot summer night walking home on Randall ave with my Sensei. There was a group of about 20 gang members on the corner we had to cross. My Sensei told me to get ready. He put me on the street side, he walked between me and the gang. I was alert, senses heightened but very little butterflies as my Sensei was with me. We walked closer, I could hear the gang members laughing as we were right in front of them. Then…nothing. Nothing happened. He walked me home and never spoke about it about. I will say that I had my share of fights but nothing serious, just kid and teenager BS and bravado.

People are people, black, white, hispanic, we’re all just people. I left this part for the end. I’m an extremely pale Hispanic. I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood and never had a problem. For God’s sake, we are all just people, show respect and dignity to your brothers…you’ll get the same back.

Peace to my Soundview Projects brothers and sisters. Have faith in yourself, arm yourself with education, self respect, visions and dreams. I survived the gang wars of the 70’s and did not accept failure. Anybody with enough faith in who you are and what you can dream into reality can do the same.

Remain Bronx Strong!

[laviaslavic]

Th sad part is the worst was yet to come with the 80's and its crack epidemic.

[QueensNativeNYC]

The northern Bronx was always beautiful, almost looks like the country.. What a difference a few miles can make..

[Coqui-Media]

Was about 1960 moving into Simpson Street between Westchester and 163rd then 1969 - onto Spofford Avenue in the Hunts Point district. 1972 too me to Castle Hill Avenue then two years later - right around the corner to Quimby Ave. and finally ending up in London England early 1981 where I have been ever since! Seems like another lifetime ago ....

[simonyip]

A good book which is based on a young girl who's mother and father were cocaine and later crack cocaine addicts back in the 70's and 80's, called 'Breaking Dawn'.

The description of freezing cold apartments, going to collect free food and the days when the welfare checks were received before going to score crack with her mother, brings the reality of being a little white girl with crack addicts for parents, living in a dangerous ghetto in the South Bronx in the 1980's.

[englishman]

New York in 2021 is starting to look like this again

[boyfrmnewyork]

I was born in the 1950's and raised there in the Little Italy area...Just like in A Bronx Tale...

[melvinjohnson]

The 41st was dirty as we all know. Where was Frank Serpico when you needed him?