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As James "Whitey" Bulger faces trial in Boston on charges of racketeering, his west coast neighbors who had no idea that the "grandfatherly" man who lived next door was in fact a a known fugitive say he was beloved in the Santa Monica 'hood, friendly and even gentle.Fox 11 interviewed some of them, from a woman who cut his hair to a neighbor who says he came out of his apartment at night to hand her a flashlight. Here are some of their encounters:
FAHIMEH/HAIR STYLIST "Very friendly, very sweet, very gentle." SHE SAYS HE NEVER HAD AN APPOINTMENT. HE JUST WALKED IN THE DOOR, REFUSED A SENIORS DISCOUNT, AND ALWAYS LEFT A 100-DOLLAR TIP.
CYNTHIA BERG/NEIGHBOR
"One time he came out and went across the street, and it was dark, and he brought me a flashlight and just said, 'You've got to be really careful around here.'"
SHE SAYS HE WAS A TOUGH GUY WITH AN EASTERN ACCENT AND STRONG OPINIONS. THAT HE SWORE A LOT AND HAD NO TOLERANCE FOR LOWLIFE'S AND TRANSIENTS.
Anyway, those stories are all well and good but this one is by far our favorite:
MIKE RAINE/NEIGHBOR "He absolutely adored animals." MIKE RAINE RECALLS AN INCIDENT WHERE HE SAW A LADY DISCIPLINING HER DOG.
MIKE RAINE/NEIGHBOR
"She slapped the dog a little bit. And he became very very upset and he says, 'I know where you live. If I ever see you do that again I will be there, ya know.'"
