Crime new york subway 1980s. In the 1980s over 250 felonies were committed every week in the system making the new york subway the most dangerous mass transit system in the world. The rate of violent incidents in the new york subway was so high by 1980 that the nypd had over 2300 police officers patrolling the system at all times. For example on november 9th 1982 a robbery gang robbed beat and pistol whipped five people in three subway stations within a half hour.
October 1982 saw the lowest ridership on the new york subway since 1917 mostly due to fears about transit crime poor subway performance and some economic factors. Photo by bruce davidson new yorks. On the new york city subway bernhard goetz a 37 year old white male shoots four young black men after they surround him and ask for 5.
It later spread to over 130 cities and 13 countries worldwide. 76 77 goetz and others have interpreted the significance of his actions in the subway incident as a contributing factor precipitating the groundswell movement against crime in subsequent years. Sliwa originally created the organization to combat widespread violence and crime on the new york city subway system.
The subway was known as filthy noisy dangerous and tagged with graffiti. In a show of support the angels provided goetz with security during the much publicized trial. Crime continued to be an issue.
In the 1980s muggings and violent crime were rife on the subway. Over the course of a decade new york public transportation would lose over 300 million riders largely due to its reputation as a hotbed of crime and drug use. The fear was so universal that bernard goetz was applauded by some for shooting four teenagers on a train in 1984 after believing.
Ask anyone and without thinking he will tell you there must be about two murders a day on the subway an undercover police officer on the subway 1980. Though the photos were first released in 1984 hell on wheels had its glory restored in 2016. New york city crime rates as of 2014 were comparable to those of the early 1960s.
63 consider that in 1917 the ind didnt even exist. Spiller took his chances and documented what he saw. The guardian angels organization was founded february 13 1979 in new york city by curtis sliwa.
New york city during the 1970 1980s was not the same city we know today. Bernhard goetz shoots four youths on the subway. The new york city subway of today is what one might lightly call starkly different from its predecessors.