Since first responders had to be benched because of no money for wages, how was society operating at this time? If people who are seen as necessary to keep society running aren’t getting paid, that means the average person isn't getting paid. So that makes me wonder what were people doing to make ends meet, did crime go up, were people acting irrationally so more emergencies happened.

This is an interesting narrative to run with, when earlier in the text, it stated that New York's spending on these programs was not out of line. In reality, decisions made by the government for private profits actually created the issues New York was facing. It seems like a way to scapegoat the welfare programs and the people relying on them, so they can fund things they prioritize.

What literature would be the equivalent of the ones listed in this for the large groups of modern-day immigrants? Now that times have changed, new groups are being associated with NYC, and their cultures are highly tied to this. It is most likely these groups are expressing their stories, which could be just as renowned.

Following this sentence to the end of this section, the author provides the audience with a breakdown of the book's chapters and provides key questions being answered. This is a really neat choice because sometimes the author's point can fly over readers' heads, but having information like this allows readers to check their understanding of the text. Also, the short descriptions of the chapters allow readers to jump to certain points of interest regarding whatever information they are looking for.