Crack Cocaine Spreads Through New York City's Black Neighborhoods

By mid-1985, crack cocaine markets are established in Harlem, East New York, Bed-Stuy, and the South Bronx. The New York Times reports on crack houses in June 1985. Addiction rates climb steeply in communities already weakened by deindustrialization and Reagan's social spending cuts. Homicide rates in Black neighborhoods begin a multi-year spike.