"Why are you doing this to us?"

Living in the South Bronx became more difficult in the 70s and 80s, when the worst of the area's problems reaching an all time low. The borough was at a low point with fires rampant and crime still rising. Burglaries rose from 1765 in 1960 to 29,276 in 1969, but it got worse with the formation of new gangs in the 70s (Gonzalez)  In the 80s Mayor Ed Koch was trying to build the South Bronx back up with numerous affordable housing projects, while the South Bronx Churches wanted to take housing into their own hands, and nos Quedamos wanted their voices heard as well. Koch and Dinkins were supposedly committed to house the poor, elderly and homeless. (Gonzalez) Though it seems his plans to do this came at numerous costs and one of them was the firehouse that didn't seem necessary to him. The plan the city proposed initially also displaced many homes. This resulted in many of the South Bronx Residents becoming upset the Koch. Rogers repeatedly criticized his actions especially with the closing of the firehouse.  

Nonetheless Rogers and his wife, Francine, made a conscious decision to live and raise a family in the South Bronx when they got married. They chose to not be a part of the "across the board flight" as he calls it. Rogers observed that not only the white but families from all races would just get up and leave. Rogers wanted to stick around and make the community stronger, not abandon it.

In 1986 Koch's administration announced they were going to close Engine 41, the Ladder company just around the block from Rogers' apartment. Rogers and the community were outraged that they could think of closing the firehouse when the history of the South Bronx burning. This was the beginning of Rogers' frustration with the city. It was bewildering that they could do something like that, so Rogers got involved. The South Bronx People for Change was the catalyst that sparked the fire in the community. With the help of the churches, Rogers and the community began fighting anyway they could. Demonstrations, rallies, lawsuits, writing letters. They would go to every parade that the mayor at the time, Ed Koch, was at and when he'd go by they'd yell at him, "Don't close engine 41!". After 4 years of fighting, Koch still closed the fire department.

After that the community kept fighting, there was a sense of defeat, but they were determined to keep fighting, driven by faith and frustration. Rogers explained how in that time the firehouse was closed they would bring every candidate running for mayor to that building and ask them if they will put a firehouse there. In 14 months the firehouse was back up.