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Bench Ansfield

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Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City

Viewing 1–4 of 4 written by Bench Ansfield

Young mother, St. Ann's Ave at E. 140th St., Bronx, 1977

Life in the Firestorm

The 21st century American city was forged in the embers of the 1970s arson wave.

by Bench Ansfield via HNN on August 19, 2025

Abandoned and burned-out buildings in the East Village in 1986.

Edifice Complex

Restoring the term “burnout” to its roots in landlord arson puts the dispossession of poor city dwellers at its center.

by Bench Ansfield via Jewish Currents on January 3, 2023

Image of army soldiers and weapons facing crowd of protestors holding signs

A Theater of State Panic

Beginning in 1967, the Army built fake towns to train police and military officers in counterinsurgency.

by Bench Ansfield via New York Review of Books on September 16, 2022

A man shovels out the parking lot of an old factory buildingcovered in graffiti.

How a 50-Year-Old Study Was Misconstrued to Create Destructive Broken-Windows Policing

The harmful policy was built on a shaky foundation.

by Bench Ansfield via Made By History on December 27, 2019

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