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How A Headline Created A Myth
- The New York Times' March 27, 1964 headline claiming "38 who saw murder didn't call the police" created the myth of mass apathy.
- That front-page framing turned a single murder into a parable about urban moral decay rather than reporting the complex facts.
Kitty's Life Before The Murder
- Kitty Genovese was a 27-year-old bartender who lived openly with a woman named Mary Ann Zalonco despite police harassment of queer bars.
- She met Mary Ann at a "girl bar," left a note promising to call from a payphone, and the pair moved in together in a safe Queens neighborhood.
Police Harassment Shaped Community Trust
- In 1964 the NYPD actively policed and raided gay and lesbian bars, using decoys and harassment as standard practice.
- That hostile policing made queer New Yorkers less likely to trust or call the police even when victimized.