Watching Fulton Street Go Down the Drain

A strange guy in some sort of trance is seated in the lotus position atop a subway grating, a bunch of oddly shaped pipes (probably for smoking hashish) spread out in front of him. As he rocks back and forth he repeats "He's callin', man!"  Down the street the sign in a cheap clothing store reads "Stop! Crazy Freddy wants you in his pants!" There is garbage everywhere.

Welcome to Brooklyn's Fulton Street shopping district.

During the 70s Fulton Street was tanking. The street started out with four department stores, end ended with only one (all those which closed were replaced by government offices). It went from where you bought a suit to where people went to file for welfare or report to the parole officer.

Martin's was the high-end department store on the block. In an effort to control shoplifting they hired a team of security guards in dark suits who carried walkie-talkies and practically tailed everyone who came into the store.

Abraham and Strauss (now a Macy's) was the biggest and best of the Fulton Street stores, and the only one to survive. If you look carefully at the outside you'll note that it really consisted of two buildings right next to each other, and the floors were not exactly parallel. A&S had a direct entrance to the subway in their basement and three restaurants. Although it was usually pretty packed, the place was losing money like crazy, much of it due to shoplifting, and (I was told by a reliable source) employee theft.

The street and small stores were where most of the slimy action was on Fulton Street. Small record stores blasted their wares from sidewalk speakers so big that The Who could have used them. Often they played the same record, over and over. Groups of wise-ass kids ran in and out of the stores. Garbage was strewn everywhere. On one corner a street preacher would be screaming into a portable PA while on the other representatives of the Nation of Islam hustled copies of their erudite journal. They were quite aggressive about it. I remember once being accosted by one, who was wearing the obligatory bow tie.

HIM:  Here, Young Man! (holds out paper).
Me:  What's this?
HIM:  This is YOUR news, brother, this is YOUR news!
Me:  Wait, I'm Catholic...
HIM:  See, brother, we got your book here too! (Opens paper to article headlines "The Cross Means Slavery!"
Me:  No thanks.
HIM:  (Following me for a few steps down the street) Young Man, Young Man?

There were lots of urban planner types coming up with reasons why Fulton Street was failing. They blamed the suburban malls, and unemployment. Nobody wanted to admit the obvious;  people with a few bucks to their name did not feel comfortable on Fulton Street, regardless of their ethnic background. It was dirty, noisy and not very hospitable. They didn't want to be stalked by the Martin's Men In Black security force, or to be accosted by aggressive proselytizers. And they didn't need Crazy Freddy's pants. People who could took their money elsewhere.