Bowery 1970. THE MEAN streets of New York City during the 70s and 80s have been revealed in a series of stunning photographs showcased in a new book. Incredible images portray the grittiness of the city that never sleeps before the big clean up as a TV is pictured on fire on the footpath, a cowboy gets his shoes shined by a young black boy and people lie on the streets as graffiti urges America to pull out of wars. Other striking shots show an elderly man reading a newspaper on the subway with the front page detailing the murder of John Lennon, women standing on street corners and an old dollar store standing out among the houses. The black and white pictures are from Mean Streets by Edward Grazda, published by powerHouse Books. Edward Grazda / mediadrumworld.com