Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photos: The South Bronx In The 1980s, As Seen By Locals
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 16, 2013
Modified Jan 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
On the 6 train (Photo by Ricky Flores)
View all 7
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 16, 2013
Modified Jan 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This weekend photographs of the South Bronx in the 1980s will be put on display at the Bronx Documentary Center. While we've all seen photos highlighting the worst moments in the neighborhood, these images were taken from the viewpoint of locals. The more personal lens lends to photos that show not only the devastation, but also the personal moments between friends and family.
“Seis del Sur: Dispatches from Home by Six Nuyorican Photographers” includes photos from locals who lived through the Bronx burning and documented day to day life in the 1980s, not just what was being shown in papers. The six photographers behind the exhibit describe it best:
"The South Bronx. Known to all, understood by few. From the flickering mayhem of 'Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning!' seared into the minds of baseball fans in 1977, to the chants of 'The South Bronx! The South South Bronx!' of KRS-ONE. The borough has brand recognition. But what’s being sold?
We have all seen the images. Hell, back then, buses used to roll up Charlotte Street to show off the rubble to curious tourists. Hot-shot shooters came up, too, making their reputation on the run.
You can debate whether or not they discovered some essential visual truth during their forays into the Bronx. Some did. And some stayed, too, chronicling the borough’s rebound from despair and neglect. But some of us were here all along.
These pictures are our story, told from inside the neighborhood and our hearts. They reflect the world we knew as home, a complicated place we tried to chronicle as best we could."
The photos were all taken by six different men who were born, raised, and lived in the Bronx, but didn't meet until later in life. One of them, 60-year-old Francisco Molina Reyes II, recently told the Daily News, “In the middle of the devastation, I would always search for a jewel that would give a sense of hope and show people trying to maintain a sense of normality in their lives." And in an interview last year, photographer Ricky Flores recalled, "...it was a tumultuous time in NYC and more specifically The Bronx. People were horrified by what was going on and for us, it was like; 'What are you talking about?' We all had an unsophisticated understanding of what was going on in the world."
See more photos from the show at the NY Times, and more photos from the 1980s South Bronx here and here.
Tagged
exhibit
flashback
history
South Bronx
the bronx
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
An excellent and diverse month of concerts are in store for October.
By
Hank Shteamer
Published Oct 2, 2026
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
October is spooky season at the movies in New York City
By
Emma Stefansky
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
By
Quinn Moreland
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .