Who remembers the two people who back in the late-’80s were outside around Central and Manhattan no matter how cold it got?
One was Petey. He slept on a bench in Pershing Field. It seemed impossible to see him there night after frigid night. He was a relatively young guy. Does anyone know his story?
The other was Marty who stood across the street from the Stop and Shop. Originally from Downtown, my father had known him for a long time. Marty was a scrawny little character. Most will probably be surprised to learn that he’d done hard time for a brutal assault on a Jersey City Police Officer.
Marty worked for a while at Hudson Refrigeration. There, he actually spit in a boss’s eye. Even in an age of a powerful Teamsters Union, Marty was out of a job. After that, he had a pickup truck that he used for cleanout / scrap work. I don’t know when or why that went sour.
Marty also was a customer at the Tunnel Bar — briefly. Strange to say, unless everyone else was sweating, Marty always complained about the tavern being too cold.
One summer evening, the temperature was in the ’70s. I was enjoying the at long last pleasant breeze. Marty got up out of his chair and closed the door.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m cold.”
“You can’t close the door. It’s nice out.”
I went over and opened the door and then returned to behind the bar. A heavy shot glass whizzed just past my head.
I looked in the direction from where the makedo projectile had come. Marty yelled, “YOU DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”
I went around the bar and over to Marty. “Get out.”
“The hell I . . .”
I was over 200 lbs then. Marty was maybe 135. I grabbed both his wrists and spun him off the chair and towards the door. A boot to the backside sent him to the sidewalk. Marty jumped up and towards the doorway. I slammed the door shut before he got back in.
Well, Marty did get his wish. The door was closed.
Another Marty escapade: https://secondthiefbestthief.com/shortstories/2013/11/08/warehouse-crew-hudson-refrigeration-warehouse-thought-theft-divinely-derived-job-benefit/
There was at least one other person involved in the attack on the JCPD. My memory is uncertain, but I think there were more. The one that I remember for sure, I was told, sustained severe injuries apparently just before being taken into custody. I don’t know how Marty fared.
