Watch the documentary titled Decade of Fire.
Learn more about this documentary here: https://decadeoffire.com/
Having watched ‘Decade of Fire,’ consider the socioeconomic and political factors that contributed to the outbreak and spread of fires in the South Bronx during the 1970s. Discuss how urban decay, poverty, and racial discrimination influenced both the incidence and response to these fires. How do you think these issues were interrelated, and what lessons can be learned for urban policy and community activism today?
Please post one original comment and two comments as replies to your classmates.
Deadline: November 19th
6 thoughts on “Online Assignment for 11/16”
DAMANI TAYLOR.
After watching the documentary, it obviously that the fire was cause by the government because they wanted to kick all the poor people out. The media claims that the people started the fire but there were no protest and riots, Neighborhoods were being targeted by government policies based on race. Homes in Africa American communities were destroyed, any neighborhood with redline were denied mortgages and loads by banks to buy homes. President Nixon allow federal policies to continue to ignore what was happening in the south Bronx. The response to the fire was poor, the people took out the fire not the fire department, the government refused to give money so they can clean up and streets and fix the buildings. I think the lessons we can learn from this is to start fixing the problem ourselves, we elect people to public office and we thought we can depend on the, to help us solve our problem but we realized we can’t. So instead we came together as community we stood up to the government and we show them that the problem can be solved and if y’all won’t do it we will do it ourselves. Which is why in the end the people were able to rebuild the South Bronx and carry the pride of surviving.
A confluence of political and socioeconomic issues contributed to the 1970s South Bronx fires. High unemployment and a panorama of abandoned buildings resulted from urban deterioration that was made worse by the loss of industry and disinvestment. The community was further marginalized by poverty and racial discrimination, which resulted in neglect and subpar municipal services.
The way that discrimination and poverty were concentrated in some communities, making them susceptible to urban degradation, demonstrated how these two problems were related. Lack of opportunities and resources led to building abandonment and criminality, which in turn created an environment that was favorable for flames.
Because of racial prejudice, widespread indifference, and limited resources, the reaction to the fires was insufficient. The size of the issue was too much for emergency personnel to handle, and the community’s cries for help were frequently disregarded.
Lessons from this historical setting are relevant now because they emphasize the significance of tackling systemic racism, poverty, and disinvestment in urban areas as root causes. Urban policy ought to prioritize community engagement, equitable development, and the provision of resources to underserved communities. To promote inclusive urban development, hold institutions responsible, and advocate for just policies, community activism can be extremely important.
The documentary discusses urban decay in the South Bronx, describing it as the result of abandoned buildings, lack of investment, and infrastructure problems. This led to an increase in fires and vandalism according to the government. Poverty was another factor that played a role, as residents struggled to meet their basic needs and the lack of resources for fire prevention. Racial discrimination also played a significant role, in African-American and Hispanic communities facing abandonment and the lack of fire protection services. These factors all connect, urban decay, poverty, and racial discrimination. Overall The ‘Decade of Fire’ documentary is about the importance of understanding and addressing the factors in urban communities. A need to invest in marginalized communities and address urban decay to prevent fires and create safe neighborhoods. Poverty programs, access to education, and job opportunities could have prevented the fires.
I believe that the government did all that was in its hands to cover up and that all this was planned out to remove these people and rebuild a new community. I think the lesson we can learn from this is how we can fix the community if we all stand together and speak up to city halls, and districts, even in voting for the ones that would help the community and not just put it aside.
The way that the government has abandoned the community of the bronx has shown that people of color were neglected, the rubble that was left there from the fires, and the government didn’t care about helping or saving that community. But the people of the Bronx revived their community from the ashes. From all the different interviews that were conducted during the flim it shows how much power a community had against the dictatorship of a stubborn government.
After watching the documentary “Decade of Fire” I can see that urban decay, poverty, and racial discrimination influenced the fires because the government did not care enough about the people living in the South Bronx. This ties into racism. The majority of the population of the South Bronx were people of color, like Puerto Rican immigrants and Black people who fled from the south to NYC for a better life. They came looking for a better life but weren’t able to achieve this. Because of redlining the government and banks would deny help and insurance to those who lived among the areas of redlining. These areas were full of poverty yet there was nothing being done to increase the quality of living. Not only did the government not help, but the landlords of the buildings were selling the property to landlords that did not care about the well being of the residents. In the winter they did not turn on the heat from the boilers so people had to look for other solutions in order to stay warm. These other solutions happened to be ovens or electric heaters which were all risk factors for fires. The buildings were so old and in bad conditions that they could not handle the appliances that were being used, which caused many fires. On top of that there were many fire companies closing down when the residents of the Bronx needed them the most. Another reason why these fires were happening was because of corrupt landlords. They would hire gangs to set fires and burn the buildings, so that they could collect money. There were no investigations into why the fires were happening, nor no arrest so they just kept recurring. I think that from this we can learn and find ways as a community to stop things like this from occurring again in present times and the future.
The people of the South Bronx were blamed for the fire and the community was a threat to society. I believe that the government wants to remove people from the Bronx and to cause the fire is to kill the minority the way the South Bronx was the victim of the fire. Because it segregates the government hates it. So they tried anything to destroy the Bronx and in the year 1971, it still was racism at the time because minorities spread racism against African Americans and Hispanics was target people of color. The 1971 they wanted the society to be not diverse so they caused fire to remove and take over it because the South was called the geathod.