Posted by MIchele Shipp on October 13, 1998 at 19:55:10:
In Reply to: East New York Gangs/Groups/Hangouts posted by pam on October 12, 1998 at 23:59:29:
: someone was asking me about this, and I'm not sure I got it totally right. Can anyone list all the groups, gangs, and hangouts and their place in the scheme of things? Also, was there REALLY a green leaf gang? I remember walking to school everyday with a green leaf lest someone from the gang find me without one and beat me death --but all my life I've wondered whether that was just a myth, since I never did see evidence of them.
: OK>>Here it goes: Patty Esposito got some of the names for STP, but she forgot: Donald O'Toole's cousin Bobby, David Eisenberg, Gasper, John Citarella, Peter Kazan, a girl we called Ann the Man, Robert Prater,I think Bobby Boshin (?). Jill Sklar and I met them Oct 22, 1966. When we hung out, it was Patty, Lisa, Stephanie, Nadine. We hung out at 273 Park. We were bad...drugs came into the neighborhood around then and we were the younger outlaws. ASB was older than us at that time. After I left STP, I hung out with ETP and stilldid drugs. They were a little younger than I was and I didn't stay there. Wen we took over 306 Park when that was built, we were hanging out at Penn Mall and being chased by the cops every day.When we were in 306, again the drugs came with us and so did some crime. One night we stole stuffed cabbage from the back of the deli. We never hurt anyone and we were the only intergrated gang in the neighborhood. We were not all Jewish and White. It broke up about 1971 or so. Hard drugs came in before then and a couple of the guys died from overdoses: Felix, Happy, Raymond and I don't remember the rest. A lot of the guys were shooting heroin by then and it wasn't as much fun anymore.I have photos of most of the people from 306 Park and also pix of the projects when there was still a tree in the middle of Wortman Ave.
We also had 2 dogs living in the park: Freddie and Brownie. They were junk yard dogs that adopted us. Happy actually lived in the park for a while. We thought nothing of it and would bring him leftovers from dinner.
Looking through the photo album, I can almost play the name game, but some pplI've forgotten their names. How lucky I am to have been a camera bug back then.