In 1977, when I graduated high school, it was probably just from general urban decay. But by 1993, the crack epidemic was in full bloom. That drug did more damage to the Bronx in a decade than every other drug combined in the previous fifty years.
you sure about that? the heroin epidemic of the 70's was said to cause alot of the urban decay, not to mention being a much more addictive drug that crack itself. cocaine was also big around that same time, plenty of users were freebasing by the late 70's/early 80's. crack didn't hit full circle out west until i believe 84, and soon made it's way eastward. keep in mind that during this same time period while crack got all the headlines, heroin was still causing untold amounts of devastation. i'm not saying you're wrong, but maybe you should blame drugs as a whole, as opposed to just crack.
those stats that were posted must be for the entire nyc metro area just going by the population. i think it's also important to keep in mind that murder and violent crime rates have gone down significantly in the past few decades nationwide, despite what the gun-grabbing, fear mongering libby's would have you believe. i think it's also important to point out that nyc has a seemingly endless budget for law enforcement. it's also wise to consider that times square does not represent nyc as a whole, and that all 5 boroughs still have plenty of dangerous neighborhoods, although some more than others obviously. i haven't spent all that much time in the city, but i remember going to some raves in jamacia in the early 2000's and feeling less than safe!
