Soundview, The Bronx, New York City
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Soundview is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. Located in the south-central Bronx, it is bounded by the Cross Bronx Expressway to the north, White Plains Road to the east, the East River to the south, and the Bronx River to the west. Bronx River, Bruckner, and Clason Point are all sub-neighborhoods of Soundview. The neighborhood is within Bronx Community Board 9.
Parts of Soundview
The Soundview section of the Bronx extends from Lacombe Avenue (Soundview Projects) north to the Cross Bronx Expressway (Bronx River Projects). From the Bronx River east to White Plains Road. The Bruckner Expressway bisects the neighborhood along the center and the Bronx River Parkway runs north to south.
In the 1950s and 1960s along with the expressways, massive amounts of public housing were constructed. Clason Point Projects were formerly military barracks converted into low income housing. This development is made up of over 40 two-story buildings. The Bronxdale Projects were built just north of the Bruckner Expressway along Watson, Rosedale and Soundview Avenues. This development takes up three blocks, over 20 buildings. Monroe Projects was built just south of the Bruckner Expressway along Rosedale and Story Avenues. This is a high rise development built in the early 60s. Bronx River Projects were built just south of the Cross-Bronx Expressway on 174th Street and Morrison Avenue. This development is a single super block of high-rise public housing towers. The infamous Soundview Houses are located at the bottom of a non stop row of housing projects on Randall and Rosedale Avenues. These are some of the most violent developments in the nation and have been that way since they were first opened. This development suffered the worst through the crack epidemic where there were no less than 20 homicides a year in the area immediately surrounding the complex. In the early 80's the city built the Sack Wern Projects on vacant lots on the neighborhood. These projects are located on both Taylor/Lafayette Avenues and Lafayette/Croes Avenues. The city also rehabbed a number of vacant buildings in the area during the 80s. The Boynton Avenue Rehabs on Boynton and Watson Avenue were once vacant tenements renovated into housing projects. 1471 Watson Avenue was built in 1970 on a vacant lot to provide low income housing to the neighborhood.
Much of Soundview's population resides in housing projects. Many others live in the many Mitchell-Lama complexes (State public housing) such as Leland Houses, Lafayette-Morrison, Lafayette-Boynton, Evergreen Gardens, Carroll Gardens, Stevenson Commons, and many others. Some like infamous Stevenson Commons became just as bad as New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing projects.
The infamous Soundview projects is known to many Bronxites for the local s.m.m. (Sex, Money, Murder) blood gang which came into existence in 1993. Ever since they were constructed in 1954 the area has faced serious problems with crime which makes it one of the worst projects in the nation. The project is comprised of 13 seven-story buildings consisting of 1,259 apartments and was completed on 10/29/1954. Soundview Houses is currently home to 3,203 residents. The 26.29 acre development is bordered by Soundview Park, Rosedale, Lacombe and Seward Avenues. Notable former residents include the Lord Tariq, Son of Sam, Big Pun, Tony Sunshine, Drag-on and the Jazzy Five.
Because of all the low income housing poverty is a problem in the Soundview community. Through much of the early 90s/late 80s, the Soundview section had one of the top 10 total homicides citywide. The Weed and Seed program was put into place by the federal government in the 90s to improve the situation in the neighborhood. In 1999, the unarmed Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by 4 officers on Wheeler Avenue. These officers were pursuing the worst serial rapist in NYC history who lived in the neighborhood. Also in 1999-2000 the NYPD along with the federal government was able to make mass arrests in the Soundview Projects to take back the projects from one of the cities most infamous drug gangs: Sex, Money, Murder. In 2002 the Soundview community (43rd Precinct) was the murder capital of New York City. Soundview is also one of the NYPD's targeted "Operation Impact" neighborhoods. These are areas where crime is a serious problem in the community and extra police are brought into the area. Recently Soundview was named the car theft capital of NYC. The reason for this is the multiple expressways make an easy get away for a thief in a hurry. The neighborhood also has problems with the Bloods and Crips which populate the neighborhood in ever increasing numbers.
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