Today in History: On this day in 1984 a few teenagers accosted Bernhard Goetz on a New York City subway. Moments later, Bernhard Goetz pulled out his Smith & Wesson revolver and shot the four young men, in an incident that came to be known worldwide as the "1984 New York City Subway Shooting."
"During the early 1980s, New York City experienced unprecedented rates of crime. Murders during the decade averaged almost 2,000 a year and, in the city's increasingly dangerous subway system, thirty-eight crimes a day, on average, were reported. Citizens did not feel safe. It is not surprising, therefore, when the city's newspapers ran stories on the December 22 shooting on the IRT express, the shooter was widely praised for his actions: 'Finally,' many a New Yorker said, 'someone has had the courage to stand up to these thugs...'" ~Professor Douglas O. Linder
Goetz (the subway vigilante) became a household name, and is even referenced in Billy Joel's 1989 single "We Didn't Start the Fire", in Lou Reed's song "Hold On" from his 1989 album New York, and on "Stop the Train" from the 1989 Beastie Boys album Paul's Boutique. The 1993 film Falling Down was partly inspired by the shooting.
New York City also has the Guardian Angels vigilante group to pick up the slack where the police fail, started by Curtis Sliwa in the 1970's. There is also the Dark Guardian, aka Christopher Pollack. New York City resident Christopher Pollack "is a mild-mannered martial arts instructor, yet by night he dons an Avengers-like costume, one that comes equipped with a bulletproof vest, and fights crime under the moniker of 'The Dark Guardian.' During his superhero career, The Dark Guardian has apprehended muggers, broken up fights and at one point waged a war against local weed dealers." Source
In 2001 Goetz ran for mayor of New York.
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