The Deadliest Decade: A South Bronx Story
Abstract:
During the 1970s, New York was in an economic downturn. They had to cut services that benefited working class, poor, and minority communities. Landlords felt that with rent control, they could no longer make a profit, so they burned down their properties for profit. With the city being preoccupied with debt of their own, most landlords were able to get away with it. By the city being neglectful it led to the spread of arson throughout the city. The place that was most effected was the South Bronx, which faced issues of violence, crime, and drugs. This gave the South Bronx the title of the “worst slum” in America. The South Bronx began to look like a wasteland and it wasn’t anything anyone could do to stop it.