As Big Ron eased into his late twenties his relationship to violence became more cunning and less brutal, in this biographer’s opinion, in large part, due to the nearly lethal fight off of Wilkens Avenue. Bing married obviously affected his behavior, the more so when he was out of his traditional neighborhood, such as at The Garden Inn, which was down on the border between East and Northeast Baltimore.
Fish at the Garden Inn, 26
I was in the Garden Inn drinking. They had weightlifting in the parking lot in the back. There was a lot of steroids being moved through there. I was never much for weight lifting. I lifted enough at work. I wanted to lift these twelve ounces after work.
I was in there drinking and this guy Fish I worked with—he was a drug addict but a very talented drywall guy. He comes tearing-ass running into the bar saying these guys are robbing him and a bunch of these Armistead Gardens guys get up and grab these guys and Fish runs out the back door. These guys pull their badges and guns out and saying, “We’re the fucking police.”
They get the situation calmed down and Fish done escaped.
A little while later, Fish comes in and reaches under the bar to get all of his crack that he had stuck under the bar with bubble gum. I said, “You’re one slick fucker, Fish.”
He had a son named Fish Junior, who we called Guppy—he’d get mad at that. Fish got away with his crack.
We called the cops the knockers. They come knock on your door in the middle of the night, give it a quick knock and then kick it the fuck in.
Drunk at the Garden Inn, 30
I had my wife with me and there was this younger guy, being aggressive, needing ride to g cop some drugs.
We are outside walking out the door—we’re fucking drunk and he wants a ride and says he’ll give us some drugs and I was offended.
I told him, “I’m not going,” something like that.
And he’s saying, “I haven’t even told you where to take me.”
And I said, “I’m taking my wife home—fuck it, I’m going to tear the skin off your ass.”
He skedaddled off.
It wasn’t much of a situation.
A lot of these addicts and drunks. He doesn’t care about injury, calling the cops. He wants to get his substance, part of doing business. If I had hit him he’d a got up and went back on the hustle.
Guy asks for a ride. The read of the situation was bad but you need to watch how you say stuff, cant’s be soft and naïve or too hard and insult him.
Taboo You: Deluxe Man Cave Edition
