posted
My friend and I were coming home from eating out at Taco Cabana just no - it's 12:30. We were walking when we heard someone shouting. I turned and saw three young men walking on the street but I assumed they couldn't be yelling at us. We kept walking.
One of them kept up with us. He shouted for us to stop. We kept walking, trying to ignore him. He came running up to us. He said we should've stopped. I said I never did anything to him. He said he didn't care. When he said stop, stop. He said he was looking for a fight. I didn't say anything. He looked at my friend's shirt and said it was good that it was a Colorado State shirt. His two friends came up behind him, and one of them punched my friend in the face.
We started running. He ran after us. He shoved me in the back. I said I hadn't done anything. He said yeah I did, I ran from a fight. He called me a pansy. He asked me if I **** my friend in the ass at night. I kept walking. We were in the middle of the street. Cars stopped around us. I wanted someone to help.
We kept walking. He and his friends followed, shouting at us, calling us faggots and queers. His friends laughed. Eventually they left and walked away.
It was odd because I didn't feel the urge to fight. I was just confused. I can't believe someone like that exists. My friend was terrified that I'd fight him, because I'm generally the more belligerent one, but I didn't. I wasn't even mad. Neither was he. We were just bewildered.
It was probably good that I didn't. They probably had weapons, and they would've used them. I'm not about to get the hell kicked out of me over nothing. There were three of them, and the one who hit my friend was big.
I wonder what they think now that they've gone home. They didn't even look drunk. Just stupid.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
No. They left. It was very strange. I don't think the police can do much.
They looked like normal college student. Maybe dumber than the average students. But still normal civilians.
I just wanted him to leave. They probably had weapons, I think. A knife, or something. But they didn't want my money. They just wanted to hurt somebody.
What century do we live in?
In my cool action movie imagination, I wish I had kicked their asses. But there were three of them. I guess that's my masculine insecurity looking to validate itself.
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Well, here's how I figure the sitation: You need to make a report because at the rate that those guys were going, they are off to cause more trouble. If you can ID them, then perhaps another cop can ID him, send them to jail and prevent this from happening to the need group of innocents.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
So, there were more of them. No doubt they were larger than you, too. :/
Some people are just plain stupid and take joy in making others suffer when it's safe for them to do so. My autistic brother was, and is, constantly a target for people like this. Cowards and fools is all they are and that is all they will ever be until their stupidity does them in, one way or another.
You did the right thing. Had you fought, you would have had to fight to kill or maim, with the result that you probably would have gotten the result of the hurt because there were more of them than you, because they are stupid and know no fear because they lack the ability to project what fighting and pain can do to a person, with the result that someone would have gotten really hurt. The police probably would have been involved, your word against theirs. I guarantee you that they would have lied and tried to blame it on you. So, now you're entangled in the justice system. Lawyer fees. Possible medical bills for you, or them.
You did that right thing, you did what you had to do. The intelligent thing to do was to get away. Don't beat yourself up over doing the right thing. Next time, though, don't argue with them. You want to fight, fine. I don't, I'm calling the cops. Run into a building with people where they are unlikely to follow, and call the cops. They will run away. Once the cops get there, give your report, then take off.
Sorry you had to have this happen to you, but ultimately, I firmly believe their idiocy will hurt them a thousand times more over time than their little bit of cowardice tonight hurt you. I'm not just talking spiritually, either. I mean real life pain, as people like this who are driven to screw people over, take joy in the suffering of others, often screw themselves over first with booze or drugs. They will turn to the ones that love them, and that they love, because they are easy targets. They will eventually hurt one person too many and end up in jail or the hospital, or their loves ones will, but you won't. You'll have a good life because you are a good, intelligent person.
You did the right thing. Don't sweat the stupidity of others.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Best way to win a fight is to avoid it. I'm glad you could avoid it and you and your friend didn't get hurt much.
About those guys, well, they're just showing off their "power" by picking on others. I've seen it too many times - though usually with kids younger than that - to be suprized by it anymore. Posts: 4519 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
The truly lucky thing is that the only blow thrown wasn't a good one. If the guy had gotten a good lick in on my friend he would've been knocked on his ass, and I would've had to stand there and do something, and pretty much decide "Well, it's time for me to get my ass righteously kicked." Couldn't just run away.
Christ. It's been two hours and I still can't believe that happened. Three guys gang up one two total strangers in the middle of the street and start throwing fists. It's not queer to run away from greater numbers, it's brilliant.
Eventually, these guys are going to either get horribly beaten, shot, or thrown in prison. It's just a matter of time.
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
This is the great thing about my oldest brother, he is an ex-marine, and a former bouncer, and still never goes looking for fights. Also he is good at breaking up fights, which makes me think maybe there should be bouncers just patrolling the street.
I still can't imagine anyone being that stupid, to go up to perfect strangers on the street and attack them, it is incomprehensible.
Posts: 376 | Registered: Sep 2004
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You did the right thing. I'm glad you're safe, and hope the next person these guys pull this on is an undercover cop.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Those morons probably just watched their Fight Club DVD one too many times. I'm glad you're ok and agree with everyone here that you did the right thing.
Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm really sorry this happened to you. Something similar happened to me about 15 years ago, except I was the one who got hit.
Unfortunately, there IS a lot of evil in the world. For some people, it is a form of recreation to go out and act out their violent fantasies.
You definitely did the right thing in trying to avoid the whole thing. I'm sure this is of little consolation right now, but eventually this behavior WILL catch up with these guys.
What these kids don't realize yet is that what they did was a crime, not just some schoolyard nonsense. Sooner or later they will do it at the wrong time and ruin their lives.
A little anecdote:
Years ago, a very good friend of mine was at a bar and was targeted by similar sorts of personalities as the bozos in your situation. The difference was that my friend is about 6'5" and very strong. (Ex-football player) Anyway, my friend made a big mistake and took them up on their offer and kicked the bleep out of them.
You might wish for a similar outcome, but it was no victory. My friend spent quite a bit of time in the courts dealing with the lawsuits that came one after another. Even though he was NOT the one who started it and he initially tried to avoid the whole thing by leaving, they attacked him anyway.
The main problem was that my friend was the one with the most to lose in the situation. His family has money and they were the ones who ended up having to pay the price.
Anyway, good job in avoiding it as much as you could.
Posts: 194 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I'm so sorry that happened to you guys. It's bizarre and disturbing just to hear about it. I can't imagine how you must feel.
When my husband was home for the summer after hiis first year of college, he had to go by his old high school office and get transcript or something. It was two blocks form his parent's house, in a nice enough neighborhood. Some guy drove by and shouted something at him, and Ron just ignored him. Then he turned around and pulled off the road. He got out oof his car and started harrassing him, just talking trash and calling names and stuff. Ron continued to ignore him, thinking that the guy was just nuts.
Ron is a big man. The little crazy guy had to jump up to hit him on the head. Then he ran off back to his car. It was strange. Ron wondered for some time why he didn't just knock the guy down, or something, because he could have. The guy's bizarre behavior was more confusing than anything, I guess.
You did the right thing.
Posts: 1664 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
You did not only the smart thing, you did the best thing. This is something to be proud of for a long time, something to tell your children.
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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posted
Start carrying a picture phone. Take their picture the next time someone approaches you like that and have 911 on speed dial.
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
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That sucks Book. And it makes me angry at the insolence these people had. I'm a pacifist, but my brother used to be almost criminal... when he was in high school he would go out looking for fights. Ugh. Barbaric. He told me once that there are different types of people who go out and fight with strangers... those who attack innocents and those that look for other angry people who are also looking to fight. So weird. Some people are born to be scholars, others are born to be fighters I guess.
Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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What happened with my friend was that since he decided to fight them and he was a better fighter, he ended up hurting one of them more than he was hurt himself.
If I recall correctly, one of them sued him for pain & suffering and medical costs.
Since his family had money and this guy apparently didn't, then he had quite a bit more to lose.
I think they ended up settling with the guy, but I might be wrong about that.
The point is that this random fight that happened in the span of maybe 10 to 15 minutes was a major headache for my friend (and his family) for the next several months, if not years. You did well to keep it to only being a bad memory.
To echo what Telperion said about his brother:
There are quite a few of these types of people out there. Personally, I am A-ok with the concept of "Fight Club"...at least then these people would all be willing participants, it is the type that go after innocents that irk me, for obvious reasons.
Posts: 194 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I;m glad you made it through this and stuff but I also think you should make the report. At least you will have done your part in making sure those bastards get what they deserve in jail. If they make it there.
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote: Start carrying a picture phone. Take their picture the next time someone approaches you like that and have 911 on speed dial.
I love that idea.
I just don't get violent people. It makes no sense to me. I would be shaken up and disturbed, but I would also be very confused.
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
That's a very good suggestion. Yep, its about time camera phones were put to a more useful use.
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
Their lust for fighting might have ended today had they met men who could and would leave them broken in the street.
This is what people are until they learn to act politely, if they reach grown up size before they learn manners the spankings must be very firm indeed. Sorry I missed it.
I am sure they have been troublemakers for a time, and a beating would have made the police smirk rather then go after you, that is if you are in a reasonably red State.
posted
Man, that story makes me very angry. It's a good thing I don't have super powers because I would not be able to prevent myself from blasting guys like that to cinders.
I guess it's a little late at this point, but those guys could very easily be charged with a hate crime. The epithets they used don't have to be true, at least in some states, for what they did to qualify as a hate crime.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:Their lust for fighting might have ended today had they met men who could and would leave them broken in the street.
This is what people are until they learn to act politely, if they reach grown up size before they learn manners the spankings must be very firm indeed. Sorry I missed it.
I am sure they have been troublemakers for a time, and a beating would have made the police smirk rather then go after you, that is if you are in a reasonably red State.
BC
Bring back public lashings!
Posts: 109 | Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
What's odd is that usually I'm the hothead who does get into fights. I am of the opinion that people will act like jerks until someone fixes them with their hands to behave like rational citizens (hence why my friend was afraid I'd go nuts on the bastards). However, I was just utterly confused.
There are fights that I can understand, but not condone. For instance, a mild problem in a setting like a bar escalating into a fight. I can understand that (I mean understand as in believe that can happen). I can understand disagreements on a football field or baseball field turning into blows. I can understand a lot of stuff.
But when a total stranger comes running up to you from fifty yards away and tells you he's going to fight you, have you ever heard of the old robot saying DOES NOT COMPUTE?
There was a particularly ugly moment that night I don't relish. We had stopped running and he was following us, and I remember thinking "This guy's not going to stop following us. Eventually, I'll have to do something, or else he will."
I'm not a small person. I used to wrestle and I swim and lift weights regularly. But I knew that if I turned around and decked the guy his friends would gang up on me or, worse, my friend, who is about the most nice, rational person that you ever met, and something nasty would happen. They might've had weapons. They might've beat us to death. They certainly could've been on some sort've hard drug. They were essentially insane.
And I remember thinking, "If I have to do something to this man, I have to make it ugly. I have to make it horrific. I have to make sure his friends know that I won't have a problem doing it to them. I have to let them know that I'm worse than anything they ever dreamed of."
It was then that we were walking by the front of a store which had a garden out front that was lined with sheet rock. My eye just naturally fell on one of the pieces. Small, hard, nice and angled. I gauged the distance and watched them approach, wondering if I could get over there, dig my heel in, and use the momentum to swing around and bust our friend's head open like a canteloupe.
The rock came, and then it passed. I didn't do it. If I did, I could've killed him. And I wasn't about to be a murderer just because some guy on coke has penis envy.
That was when I said, "I'm not going to fight you," and that was my decision. I was going to be smart and let them walk away. Course, that was when he called us long-haired faggots (which confuses both of us, because we both have about the shortest hair ever - all of his insults came from 1967 Alabama), which sorta pissed me off, but I still wasn't going to get stabbed over it.
Man. What a bunch of nutcases.
EDIT: I just have to stress what a surburban and uneventful neighborhood this occurred in. It isn't crime alley. There isn't a bar for several blocks. There isn't anything but apartments and fast food joints. And no one was out but a few kids like us getting late-night meals. This is the point in time in which three maniacs run up and sucker-punch us.
Yeah, that's real manly. Three guys against two, and you don't even give them the chance to defend themselves.
And yeah, I'm the one who got the beer dumped on him.
Urge to kill.. rising...
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Book, I'm really sorry. And I'm really pissed off at those [insert swear word here]. I don't think situations like this can be understood; it's almost like people like that aren't people, you know? Anyway, I'm sorry, and I think you did the right thing.
posted
I just wanted to reaffirm that you should file a police report. While it's not going to help you, if these guys do this to other people in the future, hopefully those people will file their own reports and eventually something might get done.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I agree with Storm Saxon. If no one speaks about it, then they will just get away with it every time.
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
Well, as ganged up everyone is against Bean Counter on this one, I can totally understand his way of thinking. Had this happened to me, I would have walked away, but if they had followed me and closed on me, I would have turned to face them. I'm not the one to pick a fight, but I wouldn't let them punch me from behind. No way. I wouldn't attack them, though. The best I could find was just stand up to them and at the first sign of agression kick the hell out of them. Go "Ender" on them. Yeah, it could cause me problems afterwards, but I'd rather have legal problems than physical injuries, thankyouverymuch.
Last year during the "Music festival" here in Lyon I went out with my brother and at one point two drunk guys walked behind us. One of them put his hand on me and started to ask me something, to which my brother immediately took the guys hand off and we both turned around to face them. Fortunately, nothing happened, but I think both I and my brother would have hit them if attacked.
I still remember the first time I saw ConAir. Nicholas Cage is a soldier just returning from duty and he meets his girlfriend in a bar. Three guys gang up on him, and after they start beating him he hits back and kills one of them I think. He goes to jail for that. I thought and still think that's the stupidest thing ever, sending him to jail for defending himself.
quote: It's like you're channeling Starship Troopers, Bean Counter.
Yeah, and I see in that book more truth than satire. "Violence doesn't solve anything" my behind...
Posts: 4519 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Book, as someone else who deals with anger issues, I salute you are your choice not to fight -- even in a situation that could legitimately be considered self-defense.
posted
I think any many case the temptation would be to fight...but when you are outnumbered, and clearly dealing with nut jobs, it wouldn't have been the best move. If you had started fighting, and one of them pulled a gun, you have have had no defense.
It has to be tough to walk away from a situation like that...particularly the feeling of being wronged. I remember the feeling that I got when my place was broken into (when I wasn't even there)...and that was not nearly as bad as what happened to you. Just the feeling of helplessness.
If anything, you know that you are a well adjusted member of society, and they clearly are not.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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I happen to agree with your thoughts on Starship Troopers (the book, not the dumb-fun movie), but I also think it's easy to ape the type of thinking shown there, making a pretense to ultimate honorable manhood, so to speak.
I just tend not to believe people on the Internet when they talk about their genius at combat, their ability to kick ass and take names. There are some people who I know online somewhat, who may tell people about things that have happened to them or hobbies they have, that involve that.
"Yeah, that happened to me. My friend and I kicked their asses two-to-one, and the other two fled in fear for their safety from the ultimate-badasses."
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
You were smart in this situation. My cousin got into a similar situation a little over a year ago and had a similar reaction to yours. Good job, I probably would have tried to fight them and gotten stabbed in the process.
Posts: 473 | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Book, the best way to win a fight is to avoid it. You did the right thing. I agree with everyone who thinks you should file a police report. If they go after men they feel are weak (whether or not they're correct), they could easily start going after women, who are less able to defend themselves without a weapon. Even if the police don't catch these jerks, maybe they'll patrol the area more.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I mean, I know it's stupid... It's just me.. But for some reason I just didn't file a police report. Maybe it's stupid insecure masculinity. It might be. And maybe it's stupid knight-errant syndrome, too, but if those creeps touch a girl, I won't be able to sleep at night. Then I'll wish I had done something even if I would've gotten my ass kicked or not.
I hope they won't.
Could a police report do any good so late in the game? I mean, the police never even showed up when I reported that bucket of garbage being dumped on me. I think that might've been because I stuttered too much over the phone. If my stupid impediment leads to a rape, I won't forgive myself.
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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It makes no sense to me. I would be shaken up and disturbed, but I would also be very confused.
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