By the ’80s, New York’s Lower East Side (LES) had been decimated by the ravages of drugs, “benign neglect” and landlord-sponsored arson. As squatters took over abandoned buildings, living side by side with Black and Latinx residents, they immersed themselves in the sound of hardcore, punk, and hip hop exemplified by bands like The Clash, Beastie Boys, Bad Brains, Black Flag, the Misfits and Minor Threat.
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The LES became the Mecca of all things anti-glamour and glitz, raging against the Reagan-fueled yuppification of Manhattan. As the centre of resistance from the coming onslaught of gentrification, the neighbourhood welcomed outcasts into the mix, giving them an outlet for creativity and self-expression in an increasingly neoliberal city.
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Native New Yorker Karen O’Sullivan quickly found a place for herself in this rough and tumble world. Making her way to Alphabet City in 1977, she would hang out with a college classmate who lived in the projects on Avenue D, and go to CBGB to see bands like the Dead Boys. “Growing up on the Upper West Side was not my cup of tea so as soon as I could move downtown, I did,” O’Sullivan remembers.
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