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The 1964 Murder of Kitty Genovese
How a grossly misreported article made a murder victim the symbol for an apathetic community.
A twenty-eight-year-old murder victim became a symbol for a crumbling, uncaring America. Her death overshadowed her life, and her name became synonymous with a harsh reality that people were more likely to let someone bleed to death than to involve themselves.
Her death led to the establishment of the 9–1–1 dedicated phone line. It also led to many states adopting by-stander protection laws. It still is a popular case study for psychology students worldwide.
However, common beliefs about what had happened that night may not have occurred due to rushed, overzealous reporting. The New York Times broke the story ten days after the murder. The article was quick to point to the societal decay that led to thirty-eight alleged eyewitnesses turning their backs to a woman screaming for help. Although the author had access to the police report, he failed to represent the series of events accurately.
Catherine Susan “Kitty” Genovese was well known in her neighborhood. She drove a zippy red Fiat, and her Italian-American upbringing ensured the world heard her. She was smart, funny, and had a relaxed and fun-loving nature that drew people to her. She had grown up in Brooklyn and was the eldest of five siblings. In her final year of high school, her mother had witnessed a violent crime, and the family decided to move to Connecticut. Kitty decided to stay with her grandparents in the city, despite her mother’s feelings that the city was too violent.
Kitty was a hard worker, often working double shifts to save money. She had dreams of opening an Italian restaurant of her own one day. Kitty had married in 1954, and while married, she was expected to live a more domestic role. This lifestyle didn’t seem to suit Kitty, and the marriage was annulled less than a year later.
After her divorce, she moved into the apartment independently and tried her hand at secretarial work, but it wasn’t for her. She started working in bars as a barmaid and became very skilled in running establishments. In 1961, she was arrested for bookmaking. She would take bets from patrons of the bars she worked at and place bets on…
