Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in the 1980s 

Born and raised in Bensonhurst. 15th and 64th. Loved it in the late 60s and 70s. Beautiful.

Love old reports like these !

65% Italian American, 30% Jewish. Wild! How things have changed.

Proud to say born & raised in Brooklyn, Bensonhurst.

back when criminals and murderers took pride in their work by not hitting innocent civilians

I lived in Bensonhurst at that time. As a very young Black Man, the racism I tell you was real. See - Yusef Hawkins

It has changed so much for 40 yrs and is still changing now, thats amazing

no poop on the streets, no junkie zombies wondering around, no homeless tents... looks much safer than most of the American cities nowadays

New Yorkers used to not be afraid to take justice into their own hands

Should have a channel pertaining towards news archives as these 😀 as in the 50's through the late 90's.

It was only dangerous for the mob guys who were skimmin off the top. Otherwise, it was the safest place on earth!

That's my old neighborhood! It doesn't take much to put two and two together and realize that the mob is part of the reason why the neighborhood was beautiful and safe! Not that I'm condoning the mafia or that I personally would want to be affiliated with that life, I'm simply saying that having a mafia-controlled neighborhood certainly had its advantages.

I wish this were an hour long!

At least the mob got who they were aiming for.

A little Woodside, Queens story. About 50 years ago I invited my Irish friend Tommy down to our weekly Sunday dinner at my grandmother's house. With my six uncles and their Wives girlfriends and kids, etc., there were always about 25 people there. We had drinks upstairs on the plastic couch and ate in the basement starting at about 1:00PM. 1:00 PM...no exceptions. So Tommy, who grew up in and knows all about Queens is bringing his new girlfriend Elaine who lives in Glen Cove, New York. She is a newbie to the sights of Woodside, Queens, NY. As they are walking up to my grandmother's house, which is surrounded by factories and long lonely streets, Elaine points out to Tommy a guy sleeping in the front seat of a car. Elaine asks Tommis if he is going to my grandmother's house. Tommy looks in and says, "I don't think so". They finally walk downstairs and everyone says hello to Tommy. Tommy says that there is a dead guy with a bullet in his head staring at the roof of his car. Elain almost passes out. We all, 25 or so Martini drinkers, kids, dogs, and all go to take a look. Yep he is dead. Back in the house Grandma asks, "Tommy, you want some wine?" Tommy looks at Elaine, "So how is your day going?" "Hungry?"

Even at that time… the crime now is out of hand!!!!

Gotta love the 80s. No fake news, that's for sure!

My dad bought 3 buildings in Bensonhurst in 1986 and then he sold them in 1989.

Bensonhurst looks nothing like this today! More Asians, Russians, Mexicans, Arabs, and very few Italians and Jewish people left. I know I am from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY. and I live in Homecrest, Brooklyn, NY.

"Mob murders , not only do they mess up sidewalks " 😂😂What a great way to start a news story .

Crazy median income to live their was 18000 dollars now u need more then 80k

It saddens me every time I go there. It's just not the same.

New York was something special. It was alive. Now not so much. Outside the museums, there's no reason to visit.

New Yorkers in 1980's look more real and human than New Yorkers in 2010's and 2020's . There has to be some Science 🧪 , to explain this 🤔.

Ahhhh. The good oldays. I was born in Bensonhurst in 1980.

Better than now. At least the people getting hurt back then we’re in the mob as opposed to now where it’s just punks hurting the elderly or random hardworking immigrant.

12th avenue is bensonhurst? what lmao. I guess the news never heard of Dyker Heights.

I graduated from New Utrecht High School in 1983. I never had any problems walking around 86th Street.

Born & raised 20th ave & 63 street. We never locked the doors, ever! Growing up was heaven on earth.

I was born on 83 st between 16th and 17th ave. Remember Anne’s Candy store and maryanne’s Deli. In between the Butcher and Cb Shack!! I miss the old days. Nobody will ever understand how great it was growing up in that neighborhood at that time. The freedom. The safety. The murders 😂🤣.

Bensonhurst is now mostly Asian,I grew up in ozonepark queens now it’s all Indian crazy how a neighborhood can change in 30 yrs

Good old NYC the 80s! Gotta love it!!!!!!

Love it in the early 90s and early 2000s, it was great back then, didn’t hardly know to much about the 80s, cuz I was just born lol

It's actually pretty much the same neighborhood today except the mob is gone or underground. The area is more mixed and there's lots of nice shopping

Not a cellphone in sight! Just people living life to the fullest with absolutely zero worries or problems. Times were so much simpler back here I was born in the wrong decade

I remember that late 80s mob war....Closed circuit cameras got big really quick.... Nice to see John and Cora Ann Mihalik here at the end. Sammy the Bull talks about these 80s Brooklyn murders on his YT show....

Now 95% Chinese xd

"Gooood ethnic groups" big Staten Island vibes 😂🎉

What a time to be alive

Good ol days

Remember Lenny playing his guitar 🎸 86th and bay parkway

12th ave isn't considered Bensonhurst anymore..it's Dyker Heights now.

This was a Great time in New York. They didn't go after civilians

Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, yes, but there is the Mapleton section in between (Graves End ). Great place.

lived in Bensonhurst for 12+ years, it was great to be able to walk anytime at night...

Great pizza ask John Travolta!😂

Bath Av was no joke in the 70s-80s

2:04 John's children now own most of Bensonhurst. It stopped being mostly Italian in early 1990s, after most left for the suburbs, and became mostly Russian in the 1990s-2000s, and now, after most Russians left for better areas, it is mostly Chinese and Latino.

We love the good old days. Because we we're younger and stronger

Neighborhood changed so much

mind ya own bidness ya hear me?

Was there for all of that news reports..was around when the hits happen..when Frankie's car got blown up..that was a sad day. Remember walking down the block with my friends when the car blown up..smh as kids we all used to go to Frankie's house swim in his pool..we had great times! It was the wild west..and it was a beautiful time for me atleast..if you mind your business you were fine. Bath beach Brooklyn..Bensonhurst..Bath Ave where I'm from! Now 52 I live in Staten island.

Back when there was no potholes!

Nice report, Grimey.

Grew up in Bensonhurst from early 70s, 2nd grade PS204, Dyker Heights Jr High, New Utrecht High. I wandered round Bensonhurst amongst crazy racial tension, constant riots unbothered because i literally grew up with them. Extremely popular with all races. If you didn't know me you wasn't nobody. Some Best time of my life. I got private school quality education. My Italian friends showed me so much love, Blacks as well. Im Black bused out from Black neighborhood early 70s. It was very Dangerous times for Blacks. I was respected by Bad Ass Italians, Blacks, Puerto Ricans. Respect to all my friends n Real Bensonhurst People.

It's a great place to live.

I was raised in NYC my whole life born in 88. My father had very weird work hours, always had a ton of cash & sometimes wouldn't come home for days. When i was young i asked my mom what did dad do for a job and she told me hes a supervisor for a company lol..i wasn't a dumb kid i knew he was doing something but i just didn't know what his exact occupation was. Till this day i believe he was either Batman or involved in organized crime lol

You cannot walk down the street and mind your own business anymore problems come to you.

I just love the year's of 1980 i live in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn :)

Live right around the corner from those homes on 12th ave....Not 65% Italian anymore...

My Grandparents lived on W 7th & 86th St. Just around the corner from L&B’s!

I love the EIGHTIES!

I laughed when I heard the average median income was 18,000 per year. Today the average minimum wage worker is making close to 25 k

What are some of the best sights and attractions In Brooklyn, I was there with my mother back in 2016 for the first time and I hope to go back someday again?

People pretend that bensonhurst was a good neighborhood. People got killed all the time. Lmao

Bensonhurst was probably the safest area in New York in the old days of the mob. They kept the place free of others doing crime.

Bensonhurst is way diverse now and the neighborhood changed a lot

“Its just a few people that break the law, thats why theres a huge mob presence and litter everywhere”

Grew up there since 1979, I'm 53 y/o Still the best neighborhood. And still home to gangsters.

Funny. We lived in one of those "middle class" 2 family attached homes. Today it cost over 1 million dollars. So much for the middle class.

Yeah I smells Italian words there😂...

I realize it's raining in a few of those clips, but look at the number of people on the avenues vs today.

No way in heck would I live in a place like that. 🙅🏻‍♀️

..... Its a nice neighborhood, ive lived here 63 years . I walk around and mind my business. What a genius!!!!

today all of those Italians disappeared and the Asians and Muslims live In all of those neighborhoods now

At least the mob keep their conflict in house.. forty years later you have gangs just shooting anywhere even with children walking by.

Wow that’s like 40 years ago 😮

Beautiful and safe, so long as you weren't at the wrong end of organized crime dealings or some random black kid who mistakenly wandered in.

All the Italians have moved out to live in Staten Island.

It's all different now

Lol 0:51 “so if you watch the news…” I fucking do

There are still some Italians who still over here but you don’t see them like back then.

After the Chinese guy spoke the news lady was like WTF

Skimming of the top makes me think of milkshake

all this time I thought Bensonhurst was in queens not Brooklyn 😩😩

White communities was just as ruthless

The good old days!!

Grew up there was definitely a great neighborhood! Yeah the mob was out there killing each other but yes it was a very safe neighborhood to live in, not like today

Well they have to bring back some of that justice start in the Bronx lol.

"R.I.P" New Single Is Out now , Available on most digital platforms. 🎶

❤️ Brooklyn shouts Woolf Leo and Lil Zach saved my life

So that’s where Matt groening got the name frank grimes from for the simpsons

Don't worry about the murders...we do our own laundry around here. Ok?

How was Marlboro projects back then in nearby gravesend ? Was it safer than the Coney Island projects ?

I grew up in Bergen Beach in the 80’s. It was about the same 65% Italian 35% Jewish. We had mob in our neighborhood too. Many of the corner houses with the bars on the windows were mob houses. One day riding my bike with my friends we found a dead guy hanging out of his car with a fish on him in our neighborhood.

Did the guy really say "good ethnic groups"?

it was only dangerous if you were black!! one of the most racist neighborhoods in brooklyn. the home to multiple multiple race riots. being from coney island and going to lafayette high school ive experienced it first hand.

Looks exactly the same, except now are chinese, Albanian, or Russian…..

Grew up there it def isnt the same from when I was a kid

I caught it from early 90s. Used t be very nice and safe. Not many Italians left.