As usual, everything you think you know about Kitty Genovese is wrong. The story began life as a misreported story in the NY Times based on one reporter's sloppy research and sensationalist writing. There are some good documentaries on the subject. This one, produced by Kitty's brother Bill, is probably the best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kepwlL44Neo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kepwlL44Neo
It got bad before that time... so... either it's better or it stays bad.