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pandabear62573 t1_iubkhk9 wrote

Tompkins is just living up to its old name Needle Park. Who remembers that?

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ImissWLIR t1_iuc5hwd wrote

My mom called Bryant Park, Needle Park. I think any park that may have had the slightest reputation of being filled with heroin users has been dubbed Needle Park at one time or another.

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carolyn_mae t1_iubw6dp wrote

I think that was Sherman square on the UWS

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pandabear62573 t1_iubzn6t wrote

No it was Tompkins. My dad lived in the East Village in the '80's when I was a teen. My sister and I weren't allowed to cross 1st Ave because of how bad Tompkins was then.

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MJM-from-NYC t1_iucv7kp wrote

Perhaps you should post in r/ConfidentlyIncorrect?

“The Sherman Square area and its much bigger neighbor Verdi Square on the north side of 72nd were dubbed “Needle Park” in the 1960s and 1970s because of illicit drug activity. This provided the title and general setting for the 1966 book by James Mills and its 1971 film adaptation The Panic in Needle Park, directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino in his second role.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Square

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drpvn t1_iuczrnr wrote

That term was applied to other parks, too. I think Bryant Park also was a “Needle Park.”

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gcoba218 t1_iucqo7e wrote

What was going on in Tompkins back then? Just drugs or?

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survive_los_angeles t1_iud9gk7 wrote

you could get some pussy, ass or dick there too. break dance , or maybe a fight with some skinheads. a little AIDS, or tuberculois from kissing a squatter chick.

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Pennwisedom t1_iudftbe wrote

I'd say just look up the Tompkins Square Riot, that'll give you a good idea of what it was like.

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pandabear62573 t1_iudpjod wrote

This will give you a bit of insight.

"For decades, Tompkins Square Park was a dangerous haven for every imaginable crime, to the point where it was known as “Needle Park.” " https://observer.com/2015/07/take-back-tomkins-square-park-and-new-york-city/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16671435695933&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fobserver.com%2F2015%2F07%2Ftake-back-tomkins-square-park-and-new-york-city%2F

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