A Flashpoint in a Melting Pot: The Crown Heights Riots, A Watershed for New York City

The Big Apple was a city in decay for over thirty years. Machine politics had failed the constituency, as crime soared and the quality of life deteriorated. The social fabric was fraying in a politicized climate of heightened racial and ethnic tension.Crown Heights, Brooklyn was a microcosm of New York City's problem. Decades of mismanagement and political favoritism had divided the community, as animosity seethed below the surface. The politics of confrontation were playing out in the media and on the street. Demagogues were fanning the flames of hatred and resentment, turning two underdog groups against each other. The melting pot was starting to boil over.A freak accident resulted in an explosion of hate and violence. The riot was a primal scream from a group that demanded change, and the NYPD became the scapegoat for all the problems. But change was on the way, and the first step was the realization that government had failed the people. Regime change was that first step on the road to recovery.A Flashpoint in a Melting Pot is the story of Crown Heights, of Brooklyn and New York City. It is the story of two groups who had endured prejudice and oppression. Formerly allies, they found themselves fighting in the streets of Brooklyn with the police, as usual, caught in the middle. But the riot brought some momentous changes, and the NYPD would be instrumental in those changes. Ironically, the Crown Heights Riot was a watershed for New York City.