The Olney I knew thru the 40s - 70s was just as diverse - tho more European. I played with Germans, Italians, English, Irish, Polish, Russians, Jews, Lebanese, Chinese and never thought about it. Some streets in Olney actually looked better than I remembered when I drove thru about a year ago.

__________________
"Deep down, I'm pretty superficial." Ava Gardner
"Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd

I did not personally know any Inky Boys, but I knew who they were and knew some associates. On one hot summer night I rode my bicycle up 3rd st and when I got to between Delphine and the bridge, one threw a bottle at me. It went through my hair. I had a buzz-cut at the time.

These guys had a bad rep in the area and were know for assaults. Many hung out at 2nd & Sheldon. Some went to jail.

One time coming home from a Dougherty football game at the vet, several of them had to run for their lives from Fern Rock subway station all the way to the over and under. Paybacks.

My point being, as tough as they seemed, when the non-whites began moving in, Inky Yard was gone.

Maybe they just matured. Who knows. At the very least, their reputation lives on.

I lived at 2nd and Sheldon and that's where I remember them always being. As I said in a previous post my brothers were both part of this "gang." I agree with you, I think when there got to be too much "color" so to speak, they "disbanded." A lot of them are either dead, or close to it, or in jail from what I know. I moved out of "Olaney" in 1983 and when I moved, I was out and that was it. My brothers stayed, for a little while anyway but thankfully they've moved on as well. Both are now successful and most importantly alive. Sometimes they will run into the old crowd but things are different and I don't know if there is talk of days gone by but I do know the Olney of the day, my "Olaney", will always be in my heart!
So a toast to the Olaney of yesterday!

Padulese,
i went to inky w/ both al & nut. not sure if i remeber you. i used to hang out (among other places), on the trax by 2nd & ashdale. lived on 2nd & ruscomb, i was about 14 in '83 when you moved. used to hang w/ mike laturski ,nut once carried me out of hill creek while i was passed out on a door ! did you go to inky or morrison?
anyway, it aint what it used to be. i'll take you up on that toast @ the Golden Lion

What's your name? I went to Inky with P-nut. We were in the same grade. I know Al Hart and those guys, Arena and Harris and the rest of them. We hung out on the tracks at the Acame!

i do know inky & on at least one occasion they kept me from getting my head kicked in!

They never came near 5th and nedro or THE PARK .Once they hit a friend of mine in the face with a car antenna.20 stitches.

I don't think anyone went near 5th and Nedro. My brother dated a girl from around there, last name was Xander and she was scary enough.

in reading these posts it seemed that olney was divided in to 2 divisions(with olney ave dividing them) and there were pockets of kids that hung out with in these divisions. kinda like inky & st. helenas ROUGHLY dividing the two.
just an observation....

Yup, I think your right because I thought I knew EVERYONE From Olney but it seems there were more people there then I thought...LOL We were so sheltered in our INKY world LOL