Stopping the spiral of murder and violent crime

In the summer of 1975 the Council for Public Safety, a New York group run by trade unions, including those of the police and firefighters, mocked up a leaflet for passengers arriving at the city’s airports. The cover featured a picture of a skull wearing a shroud with the message, “Welcome to Fear City”. The leaflet offered such helpful advice as “stay off the streets after 6pm”, and “you should never ride the subway for any reason whatsoever”. It was never distributed, but it is remembered, at least partly because it rang true. In that year New York had over 1,600 murders.