In Southie, Bulger long cultivated a Robin Hood-type image, doling out gifts and convincing people he was a tough guy looking out for the neighborhood's little guys.
James "Whitey" Bulger booking photoBy RUSSELL CONTRERAS
BOSTON — Word of former mob boss Whitey Bulger's arrest shook his former South Boston neighborhood on Thursday, where some still see a good side to a man wanted in a slew of vicious murders.
The capture of Bulger, 81, after 16 years on the run buzzed through Southie's cafes and doughnut shops, as people bent over newspapers in disbelief and discussed developments.
"I thought he was dead," said William Foley, 72, standing outside a local pharmacy.
Bulger has been accused of 19 murders and stunning cruelty, including carrying a young woman down the stairs as he strangled her and beating one man so badly he asked Bulger to shoot him.
But in working class South Boston, he long cultivated a Robin Hood-type image, doling out gifts and convincing people he was a tough guy looking out for Southie's little guys.
Paul Sassone, 44, recalled that when he was in his 20s, Bulger once gave him $60 to replace his muddy sneakers.
Foley said most residents know of the alleged violence in Bulger's past, but many remembered him as a giving man and a sort of neighborhood protector.
"He really cleaned up the neighborhood, he really did, he kept the drugs out," Foley said.
In truth, authorities say Bulger was deep into the local drug trade, extorting "rent" from dealers, loaning them startup money and demanding they buy from wholesalers connected to him.
"There was a great legend that was associated with him in the '70s and '80s and even the early '90s that I think in some ways still exists and softens the extent of his criminal activity," said attorney William Christie, who represents the families of two alleged Bulger victims, John McIntyre and Edward "Brian" Halloran.
"I think his fugitive status fueled that celebrity in many ways," Christie said.
Retired Navy and Army veteran Arthur Stevens said he grew up with Bulger and conceded that a lot of South Boston residents "loved him." But he said that was before everyone discovered the terrible things he's said to have done.
A passer-by departs a liquor store in Boston's South Boston neighborhood, Thursday, June 23, 2011. The liquor store, formerly called South Boston Liquor Mart, was frequented by mob boss Whitey Bulger during the 1980s. Bulger was arrested by the FBI in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)"I remember when I met him, I knew he was no good," said Stevens, 72, shaking his head.
Bulger's infamy has long disgraced the FBI, which was accused of protecting Bulger because he was considered a valuable informant. In Miami, former Boston FBI agent John Connolly was convicted of second degree murder after he allegedly tipped Bulger that a gang-connected businessman was likely to accuse them in another slaying. The man was later killed by a mob hitman.
In South Boston on Thursday, continuing distrust of the FBI was evident as some residents scoffed at the idea that investigators hadn't long known Bulger's location. Foley theorized the FBI moved to get him when they figured they would get the most publicity.
Some parts of the neighborhood, though, have long moved past Bulger. The former Old Harbor housing project where Bulger grew up, now called the Mary Ellen McCormack development, was heavily Irish when Bulger was there, but is now largely Asian and Latino. On Thursday, many residents there didn't know who Bulger was.
But McCormack resident Jennifer Lynch, 47, knew about Bulger, and as she walked her two dogs Thursday morning, she was glad the authorities didn't forget him.
"He should get what he deserves," Lynch said. "He hurt a lot of people and did a lot of bad things."
Associated Press writer Jay Lindsay contributed to this report in Boston.