New York City in the 1970's was a very dangerous and a high crime place.
Drugs, murder and prostitutes infested the city. Teenagers getting trapped in this harsh environment at a young age lead to serious issues. In the book, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Sallinger, Holden Caulfield explores the freedoms of the big city and witnesses the impact of its harsh environment in the 1970s. Drugs affected New York in the 1970s in a negative way. Drug dealing was a big occurrence that contributed to the drug issue. Park Slop to Times Square, places in New York, was a big are where drug dealing happened. Crack and heroin abuse and dealing was a main contributor to crime rate increasing. A former special agent with the New York City DEA, Drug Enforcement
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"Let's go, chief." He shut the doors, practically right in my face. (91 Salinger.)
Holden mention his brother, D.B, also had an association with a prostitute proving how popular prostitutes were in this time period.
“I went down in the elevator again and got a cab and told the driver to take me down to Ernie's. Ernie's is this night club in Greenwich Village that my brother D.B. used to go to quite frequently before he went out to Hollywood and prostituted himself.” (80 Salinger.)
The subway systems in New York City was also a big problem with crime issues. The subways were the root of all bad things occurring. A train station in New York City, Lexington Avenue, was given a nickname, “Muggers Express.” In 1979, six murders occurred on the subway. This forced New York City citizens to live in fear of their everyday lives. “Much of New York City's crime happened on the subway in the late '70s. The Lexington Avenue Express landed the nickname the "Mugger's Express." In the first two months of 1979, six murders occurred on the subway. Nine occurred that whole year. By September 1979, the police recorded over 250 felonies on the subway every week, the highest crime rate for any mass transit network in the world.”