The South Bronx is Burning

In the 1970s, the Bronx was on fire. Abandoned by city government, nearly a half-million people were displaced as their close-knit, multi-ethnic neighborhood burned to the ground. While insidious government policies caused the devastation, Black and Puerto Rican residents bore the blame. Now, Bronx-born Vivian Vázquez Irizarry exposes the truth about the borough’s untold history and reveals how her community chose to resist, remain, and rebuild.

See the Film!

"The well-paced, tightly constructed, often crushingly emotional documentary is stirring and compelling throughout, illuminating both a dark chapter of New York City history and an all-too-common example of the extent to which inner-city people can be unjustly victimized by those in power."
Nick Rocco Scalia, Film Threat
"(An) insightful look back at a time when one of the United States’ major cities allowed a once-vibrant neighborhood to fall into neglect and disrepair, ...Decade of Fire offers a moving portrait of what life was like under these conditions, and how people survived."
Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Hammer to Nail
"A great contribution to our social justice movement!"
Iris Morales, director, Pa'lante Siempre Pa'lante
"I’ve been waiting for 40 years for someone to make this film."
William Sarokin, director, Simpson Street
"Denying us access to our history and replacing it with a narrative that justifies things as they are is a real act of violence—a real weapon. Telling history like Decade of Fire does is a real way to take power back."
Susanna Blankley, Coordinator of the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition

Defending Your Block:
How to Stay, Fight and Build

The latest from the DECADE OF FIRE team:

“Defending your Block” delves deeper into the practice Bronx activist Hetty Fox describes as “Block Defense,” and relates it to two different communities successfully holding their ground against aggressive real estate development, displacement, and gentrification in the cities of Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

Read the article at citylimits.org.

The Story We Need Now

Communities across the United States face a growing crisis of displacement and homelessness. DECADE OF FIRE is partnering with grassroots organizations who are building tenant power and fighting for the right to live with dignity in our nation’s cities. Each screening will be followed by a dialogue, highlighting local leadership and concrete ways people can become involved in housing justice and anti-displacement struggles where they live.

Find a screening

Resources