Take A Ride With Baltimore's Renegade Bikers, The '12 O'Clock Boys'
On what it's like when the 12 O'Clock Boys roll down the street
It's a chaotic experience. ... I first saw it on the periphery. I saw them tearing down the street. I had no idea what they were about. A lot of people in Baltimore — depending on what neighborhood you're in — don't know what they're about. ... Their presence on the street, you know, they're extremely loud, huge pack. ... I thought they were kind of bandits, or something, pirates. You know, some of them have these bandanas on their face; they certainly look intimidating from the outside. And it's all about the noise and the presence, you know. They really take over the whole city.
On the gang's intentions
It's complicated. I think it's impossible to deny that it is supposed to be rebellious. And that's why this cat-and-mouse thing with the police I think is something that's kind of brooded into part of the game. So part of it is that it's renegade, and it's a thrill in that regard. But it's also ... a kind of sport for a lot of these guys. They just happen to have a desire to ride dirt bikes, that's what they want to do. They can't get out to the county — you know a lot of these guys complain about this a lot — that they just don't have that resource. They don't have that facility and they want to do it.
“ I don't like the argument of 'lesser of two evils' — but you can't ignore it in Baltimore. There are so many worse options for a kid like Pug. I mean, when I met him in 2010 I remember there were drug dealers directly outside of his house. ... It's tempting to do a lot worse. So I think for a kid like Pug this is almost a wholesome activity.