Dystopian New York.
Yeah I've been thinking about doing some writing and deciding to just post something I wrote for this dystopia cyber sci-fi series I've been planning. This story segment takes place in New York after the United States government has collapsed and has been replaced by a tyrannical socialist regime called the North American Empire.
Now here's a note, I"m only posting this segment to get feedback on my writing skills. So I would like to hear what you thought and constructive criticism is welcomed. I would love to know how to improve my writing. Thanks.
New York City, the Big Apple, the City of Dreams. At least, that's what it used to be. Before the revolutions. When the old America was still in power. But that was no more. Now, freedom was an illusion; liberty was nothing more than a word. Free enterprise had been outlawed while individualism was considered a crime.
From the outside, New York appeared to be a shining, plentiful metropolis; but as the old expression goes, looks can be deceiving. The once mighty New York had now becoming a crumpling shell of its former self and had now become a breeding ground for dictators and tyrants. The skyscrapers and government buildings towered over the city looking down on them as a king looks down on his subjects. The sky had been filled with cybernetic drones and police helicopters which flew around the city skylines and scanned and monitored every man and fur of the city. Nothing was unknown from the police. Nothing was hidden from the government. They knew every move and action that the people had done throughout their day. While in the past such activity was considered intrusive, ever since the empire took over, it became the norm and citizens just went with it as their daily business. The few who did complained where put down by the authorities which had now dominated the streets. Every block had a squad of militarized policemen. Every street had a checkpoint heavily guarded by policemen with machine guns, riot gear, and armored cars their dark cynical faces cloaked by the black helmets they wore. Strict curfews had been enforced, civil petitions were met with sneers and vetoes, free speech was silenced, civilian weapons were confiscated, and private property was repealed. It was a very common sight for the police to beat and shoot someone. When the old America was in power, such actions would be frowned upon and heavily criticized. But now, the people would just turn the other way and let it happen. After all, as the new motto of the New York was: "The Safety and Security of the People come before the wants and Desires of the Individual".
Many famous landmarks had been changed too. The Statue of Liberty was gone as the new government considered it "a symbol of oppressive capitalism" and had it torn down. Times Square had once been a bustling area where free companies used to advertised their products and services to the people. But since the free enterprise had been outlawed, Time Square now had large TV displays on the building which gave the public twenty four hours of propaganda glorifying socialist ideology and boasting national pride. Movie and Broadway theatres had been largely shut down and those that remained were controlled and heavily censored by the government. The internet had now become the property of the state and voicing an opinion was no longer accepted.
But despite living in such a horrific police state, the citizens just went for it. After all, the empire is what they grew up with and there was no one else to challenge the current view. They knew nothing of the old way. They knew nothing of freedom. All they knew was "Safety, Progress, and Equality" as the empire put it. To them, it was just a new way of life and nothing more than that.