Showing results for "The Drop" in Sociology

Terence Lester was born into a two-parent household that later separated due to family conflict. In search of safety and stability, his mother moved him and his sister from place to place. Carrying the weight of that early trauma, Lester turned to gangs, became a juvenile delinquent, experienced homelessness, and at one point lived out of his car. He dropped out of high school. But Lester's story doesn't end there. He eventually returned to school, graduated as a fifth-year senior, and defied the odds by earning five degrees, including a PhD in public policy.

From the 1970s to the early 1990s, New York City was seen, justifiably, as out of control. The city approached bankruptcy, the subways were covered with graffiti, and murders were at a record high. Right-wing fearmongering and vigilante justice were countered by liberal pleas to end poverty and provide drug treatment—none of which happened. Then, in a surprising break from the past, new NYPD leadership decided to focus on crime. Between 1993 and 1996, New York City's murder numbers were cut in half, dropping to under 1,000 for the first time in decades.