Back in the 1960s, my fathers hometown of Newark, NJ was named the worst city in America by a national publication whose name escapes me. He lived long enough to see slight improvement in Brick City since the early 2000s, but it’s amazing how many cities have since surpassed Newark in overall awfulness. I was in St. Louis as recently as four years ago, and in Baltimore two years ago and I felt a lot more unsafe than in Newark, which is a low bar.
My father lived in Newark briefly in the late ‘60s (one of the few Whites moving in when most were heading out). He didn’t concern himself with racial matters, although he almost got killed there. He was walking past a high-rise housing project and someone tossed a tv out their window/balcony and it just missed his head. Had it found the target, I would not be here. He moved to Lower Manhattan shortly after.