Bronx Gangs Documentary Diary

Sept. 30, 2006 - Ducky Boy Slingshot Victims - Lou C & Kevin H

James, Lou C, and Kevin H

Ok, I'll admit the "Ducky Boy Slingshot Victims"was a little over-the-top, but it got your attention hopefully and its a mostly true statement...

On the Bronx Board website messageboard a while back, Lou had posted that, in the mid-60s, he and his friend Kevin had been ambushed in Bronx Park near the Bronx River by a bunch of kids with slingshots. Knowing the time-frame, the area, and the weapon of choice, I immediately classified this as a Ducky Boy ambush, and had to talk to Lou. Luckily, he and Kevin were still friends, and they both were willing to be interviewed by me for my Ducky project

So, I met Lou & Kevin up in the Bronx to talk about that experience and their other experiences growing up in the Bronx during the same time-frame as the Duckies. It seems that they had a few near-misses running into areas where the Duckies had recently been. But I'll save those experiences for the Ducky Gang documentary. Can't tell you everything y'know!

One of the cool things about my meeting with Lou & Kevin is that these two guys have been friends since they were 10 years old and absolutely show it. They have a comfort with each other that only comes with years of friendship. And that is a common theme amongst people I've spoken to in the Bronx - friends have stayed close over the years. I know I've kept in touch with my best friend Ray since I was 12 years old (you can find him on my 2006 Loew's Paradise pictures page) - Maybe it was something in the Bronx water, or more likely, experiences shared together in the Bronx that kept people together years later...

It was a fun interview that produced some great stories and information. It also gave me a different perspective on how the Ducky's were perceived from outside the gang

On a side note, Lou wrote an excellent story called "The Body in the Bronx River" about something he & Kevin found back in the days close to when they were ambushed by the Ducky Boys. It may be centered around this "body", but it is about so much more - close friends, how families lived and interacted, the characters you'd encounter in the Bronx - It really is a "Bronx Story" worth reading!