David Koeppel

Setting: 

The primary setting is a massive Queens housing complex called Lefrack City located located in the of Corona and Elmhurst neighborhoods of the borough.  The complex is designed and built  in the early 1960’s, intended as a middle class enclave for mostly upwardly mobile white families and is considered idyllic by many who live there in that era. The neighborhood has urban gardens, swimming pools, movie theaters, an ice skating rink and many restaurants. For several years,  Lefrak City seems unaffected by the rising crime and social problems that impact much of the city and the country. But by the late 60’s the city is in crisis--and a month’s long school and sanitation strike leads to swift white flight to the suburbs. 

By the early 1970’s,  Lefrak has begun to integratre and the first black families move in to the area, leading to an even greater acceleration of white flight. In a few short years the “idyllic” character of the neighborhood changes,  as the landlord of the complex seems to abandon it. The pools close, the hallways become filled with graffiti, the playgrounds fertile ground for drug dealers. Lefrak Cithy transforms into its own character, a microcosm of New York City.