1975 was a rough year for New York City. Garbage piled up in the streets. Subway cars were filthy, covered with graffiti, and unreliable. Crime was soaring. The Bronx was burning. Heroin use and drug trafficking were widespread. Municipal services such as police and sanitation were cut drastically. New York City was broke. The Federal response to New York’s cries for help was summarized in the infamous 1975 New York Daily News headline: “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”
