Ali And His Entourage

"I didn't touch her!" hollered the man. "I called her a name!"

"I might kill him!"

"Wait a minute, both of you."

"She got my chain, officer!"

"You mother——! I was locked up last summer for your honkie ass."

"Did he hit you, Miss Jones?"

"No, but he was in my face!"

"She pulled the chain off my neck. I want my chain!"

"Look," said Patterson. "You assault him, miss, and I'll lock you up. You're both high. Sir, you go take a walk. Let her cool off. And you stop screaming like that. Miss Jones."

Officer Patterson stepped back into the car and shook his head. "Lot of police would put them both in jail," he said. "I know before I was Ali's bodyguard, I'd put folks in jail 10 times faster than I do now. Now I just try to help them solve their problems and send them home. My attitude's different since seeing the world and rubbing shoulders with Ali."