life in NYC / Harlem back in the 20's & 30's?

[green papaya]

I saw a show on the history channel about the guns used back in the 20's to 1930's era including gangsters like Al Capone, MG Kelly, Bonnie & Clyde, etc.

they said they're were very few gun laws back then and anybody could buy just about any kind of gun, including a Thompson sub-machine gun!

small pocket pistols were very popular, usually .25 autos, .32 autos
some people would carry it in a vest pocket, or for quick access, some people would attach it to they're pocket wacth chain, so all they had to do was pull up on the watch chain and a small pistol would be attached to it.

they also said that NYC / Harlem was much safer back then than it is now, you could walk the streets at night without worrying about getting mugged, people back in the 1920's just didnt do that kind of thing , muggings or rapes were almost unheard of.

also some of the early motorcycles and cars from the old days didnt even have ignition keys, since car theft just wasnt common.

http://www.coltautos.com/images/1908vp_420662a.jpg

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

There were fewer gun laws back then, although NYC still had some of the most restrictive laws in the country. Since 1913 handguns were restricted in NYC. Machineguns were restricted nationwide in 1934 although individual states and localities banned them earlier.

I wouldn't say that it was safer back then exactly. Harlem was safer back then because it hadn't devolved into the place it eventually became in the 60s and 70s. Remember that Harlem wasn't even originally a black neighborhood.

Today, Manhattan as a whole is probably a lot safer than it was in 1920. There aren't any more real slums now that real estate is so expensive and the area is so developed. Back earlier in the century you had large-scale en-masse gunfights between gangs going on in the city, it could get pretty crazy.

 

[Mycroft]

Ok, my facts are from the source, Autobiography of Malcolm X. He had 3 guns and one was a small caliber in the small of hit back, so when frisked it would not be found. Also, he had 2 others and at one time a machine gun (apx. 1943). Read the Autobiography of Malcolm X for more info and it is an awsome read.

 

[flat-top]

My family comes from Harlem,(by way of Italy) and according to what they've told me, they lived in, what I guess was an Italian slum. When they finally were able to move, they moved to the Bronx, which to them, was the country!
flat-top

 

[Senator Jack]

If you ever find it, pick up a copy of New York Confidential. The "confidential" series was first published in the late 40s. (That's where Jame Ellroy (is that right?) got the title of L.A. Confidential) The series was written by a couple of New York beat reporters and is loaded with stories about gangsters at the Stork, flimlam men, how to pick up models, chorines, etc. and there's a whole chapter about Harlem. Their final word on the subject was 'Stay out of Harlem' Evidently, unless you were a high roller or a gangster, it was pretty dicey to be up there even back then.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Senator Jack]

Posted by Vladimir:
There aren't any more real slums now that real estate is so expensive

Everyone in NYC who owns a two family is a slumlord these days. Rents are sky high and none of the landlords wants to fix anything. They're renting basement studios with leaky pipes for $1,100 and people are paying it. People are living 7,8, to a 2 bedroom apartment, and that's people with median income. Last year I got it into my head to move to another apartment and you should see the dumps they showed me $400 more than I'm paying now. AND they were smaller! Again, it comes back to greed. Yeah, real estate is expensive, but that doesn't mean we're not living in slums.

Regards,

Senator Jack