OVER THIRTY YEARS AFTER its publication, Fort Apache: New Yorks Most Violent Precinct remains the definitive account of the vicious cycle of violence that has griped urban America over the past century. A swollen head floating down the Bronx River, a junkie murdered for stealing a womans wig, a French Connection-style chase through blind alleys, police barricaded inside their precinct as a wild mob lays siege to the station and, above all, mindless violence that seemed to erupt in profusion for no apparent reason against the cops who faithfully served and cared deeply about the neighborhood that was rapidly imploding.