Maybe it's indicative of larger trends. Last year, while downtown here, I got off the bus to almost got swept up in a crowd that was being dragged along in the wake of a running street fight between a large group of late teen/early twenties blacks and a group of similarly aged whites. The fight blocked the intersection of third and Pine for a few minutes with stopped busses and cars being pounded and standers-by assauted as well. There were a couple of people on both sides who were beaten to the street and had to be dragged off by their cohorts. The fight trajectory was being shaped by social media--participants on both sides who were using phones, etc to report which way people were running and telling the others where to head to intercept the opponents.
I had a sudden urge to price computer parts and ducked into Office Despot until it passed by. Of course there wasn't a cop in sight.
It was one of the biggest fights I've ever seen and very scary because there seemed to be no reason to it, passers by were as likely to be targeted as the clashing sides.
I didn't see what sparked it. The only thing I can figure is generally the lack of work and opportunity for youth of that age. Idle hands, devil's playground and all that.
I blame Reagan as well.
