Harlem in the 1980s by Camilo Vargera

On May 18, 2009 by D. Bell

Harlem 1980s

h/t MK

Category :
Video

9 Responses to “Harlem in the 1980s by Camilo Vargera”

  • Humme on May 18, 2009 9:39 pm

    I grew up in Harlem in the 80′s just like many others did. Of course the cost of living was only one component of why people lived here then, let alone the its cultural refuge from the white establishment. The buildings in this video weren’t occupied, for one thing. It’s not like these hollow shells were populated with po’ folk. My obvious point is that a decayed neighborhood is easier on the pocketbook than a thriving one, and that’s a disgusting reality of the current Harlem.

  • Heather Walker on May 18, 2009 6:21 pm

    “How crummy Harlem had to be in order for people to afford living there”? As someone who grew up in Harlem in the ’80s, I can tell you people didn’t live like that because it made it affordable. People lived like that because those in power (government, landlords, and much of the rest of NY) didn’t care. Being poor or low/middle class doesn’t mean you have to live in a wasteland.

  • narmer on May 18, 2009 5:54 pm

    How did we survive that negative atmosphere to get to where most of us are at today. We laughed at 3rd World Countries, and all the time Harlem was one!

  • D. Bell on May 18, 2009 4:15 pm

    This is just one piece of this artist’s retrospective. We have also featured photos by one of my favorite photographers Jamel Shabazz that shows the beauty and vibrancy of the era.

  • harlemite on May 18, 2009 4:08 pm

    I agree what a difference between then and now. But let’s not forget that Harlem was not completely void of beauty in the 1980′s.

  • Humme on May 18, 2009 2:44 pm

    It was actually worse than how I remembered it. You would think there was a mass evacuation or an ethnic cleansing going on. I certainly don’t remember the streets being that bare, despite the buildings’ predicament. But when did this start? You can also see the landscape looking torn up in “Shaft,” which came out in 1971. Yet all I can think is that this is how crummy Harlem had to be in order for people to afford living there!

  • ZPP on May 18, 2009 1:58 pm

    Wow. Shocking.

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