Street Fighting On 14th St.

Getting off the subway yesterday at around 5pm at Union Square, two young men were verbally sparring with each other, directly in front of the Circuit City. They went back and forth with verbal bravado for about 20 seconds.

"You!"

"No You!"

"You!"

"No You!" etc...

I'm not really sure what they were arguing about, but I believe that the one in the white shirt was selling candy, and the one with the dreads had some words for him, and/or bumped into him.

"What?"

"No you what!"

"What?!"

The man with dreadlocks seemed content to just have some words and let it go, while getting the last word in as he walked away. Prolly something like "Now go home and get your fukn shinebox." But the one in the white shirt had enough. "Let's do this right here!" And with that, they both moved to an imaginary ring in the middle of the sidewalk. An audience member on the sidewalk excitedly exclaimed, "Oh yah, a real live street fight!"

Both fighters did a good job floating around like butterflies, but they forgot the part about stinging like bees. One step in, one step back. A quick jab from afar to keep the enemy away. Though honestly, as angry and and aggressive and ready to fight as they were claiming to be, it appeared they didn't really want to hurt each other. Which was relieving, as not much else is more disheartening and scary then watching someone get violently beaten. Neither of them went for it, neither of them tried to hurt the other, and I only saw two fake jabs thrown the whole time. Neither seemed to be too comfortable with the actual physical fighting part of the argument.

Another 15 seconds later, and the one in the white shirt through his back into it, charging at his opponent and backing him into the wall. The one in red quickly gained control of the one in white, wrestling him into a headlock. They rested against the wall, physically intertwined, while the one in the white shirt pulled at the dreadlocks of the man who now held him immobilized. At no time were punches thrown, knees given, anything of the sort. I nervously waited for a friend of either fighter to enter the fray sight unseen to deliver a violent blow to someones head, but thankfully, neither the fighters or their friends watching ever did that.

Someone in the crowd said to a friend of the man in dreadlocks. "Yo call your boy off before the cops come!"

It was all over in about 60 seconds. The cops did come. And everyone was on their way.

"What's the problem here?" the officer asked?

"nothing."

"Good. Thank you gentleman."

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