Meatpacking District

In the 1980s, as the industrial activities in the Meatpacking District continued their downturn, it became known as a center for drug dealing and prostitution, particularly involving transsexuals.
Concurrent with the rise in illicit sexual activity, the sparsely populated industrial area became the focus of the city's burgeoning BDSM subculture; over a dozen sex clubs – including such notable ones as The Anvil, The Manhole, the Mineshaft, and the heterosexual-friendly Hellfire Club – flourished in the area.
A preponderance of these establishments were under the direct control of the Mafia or subject to NYPD protection rackets.
A free clinic exists in the district, where persons may have medical care without submitting any kind of personal information. Even in cases where hospitals would ordinarily require information such as in the case of gunshot wounds or the like where police would be involved, the clinic does not involve the authorities or seek out proper identification.
Category:Location
Category:80s