Thursday, October 4, 2012
Brooklyn Timeline: Williamsburg
Posted by Kristin Iversen on Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 9:10 AM
Page 8 of 10
1970s and 80s: Well, This Wasn't Exactly the Best of Times
All of New York City had its problems in the 70s and 80s; Williamsburg was no exception. The large number of immigrants who had continued to come throughout the 60s, from places like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, were finding that the factory jobs they were coming for had completely dried up. In fact, the available factory jobs in Williamsburg fell from over 90,000 in 1961 to 12,000 in 1990. The numbers were not good.
Add rampant crime to the discouraging economic numbers because of the fiscal crisis in 1975, and you don't get the nicest picture. In 1971, police detective Frank Serpico was shot in Williamsburg during a drug bust and was left to die by his fellow officers. What I'm saying is, a lot was rotten in Williamsburg. Serpico turned out okay, though. He was able to testify about his shitty police colleagues and his life story got turned into a movie where he was played by Al Pacino, before Al Pacino became all "Hoo-ah!" or whatever in "Scent of a Woman." So you know, it wasn't all bad times. But things were depressed.
More by Kristin Iversen
-
Angelina Jolie, Christine Quinn, and the Art of the New York Times Overshare
When public figures let us in to their private lives.
- May 14, 2013
-
Game of Thrones: Climbing On Thin Ice
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."
- May 6, 2013
- More »
Readers also liked…
-
The 10 Best Hot Dogs in Brooklyn
There is so much more to Brooklyn's hot dog scene than Nathan's. Yes, that's right, we said hot dog scene. (And yes, Nathan's is on the list too, so don't go getting all crazy.)
- Jul 24, 2012
-
10 Must-Have Brooklyn Dishes for Fall
With every new season, we say it's our favorite one for eating, but this time we really mean it.
- Sep 28, 2012
-
Everything is Fucked, Everything is OK
Yeah, the title of this zine pretty much sums up what life is like in this world of ours.
- Nov 20, 2012
Comments (2)
Showing 1-2 of 2
About The Author
Kristin Iversen
Kristin Iversen is the Managing Editor at Brooklyn Magazine and the L Magazine. She has been described as "a hipster buzzword made flesh." This seems pretty accurate.
