one racial riot.While in college, a friend and I were in downtown Boston and stopped by an outdoor concert being put on by the local hip hop station (we were attracted to some of the "talent" we saw entering the venue). We had missed most of the concert but a rap group was getting ready to come on (don't remember who it was, not a gangsta group though). We took up positions at the back of the crowd and looked down upon about 5000 high school city kids.
The crowd was getting unruly while waiting for the rap act to come out. This was shortly after the LA riots and the MC kept saying "this is not LA, please remain calm". Mob mentality quickly took off from there. A young black man in front of me took this opportunity to finish his 40 oz. malted beverage and launch the empty down from our perch into the crowd below, obliterating one girls face on impact.
Then, then SHTF and the whole crowd went bezerk. Rocks, forties and anything to cause damage was launched into the crowd. The Irish contingent of city youths was ever ready to brawl and immediately started the fisficuffs. Various gangs of blacks sought out the whites with shamrocks and any other gang rivals.
I saw two small caliber handguns being discharged into the air and one being shot into a crowd of girls. A white kid behind me was getting knifed and the younger kids were eying us suspiciously.
As we grasped the danger and we're trying to get out of harms way, my friend was engulfed in a bear hug by a huge black man in fraternity sweats. As I turned to attack, I recognized him as a high school football teammate who had been bussed to my school from the city. He suggested that we leave under his care and we hightailed it out of there just as the BPD showed up and began cracking heads. Those batons do quite a bit of damage! we watched the ensuing riot unfold and continue down the street from the window of a bar across the street. The mounted police were now out and scattering the rioters. I saw several heads get cracked as the cops swung from their saddles and kicked the crap out of anyone who didn't make a run for it as we sipped cold beers and thanked our luck that we got out unscathed.
I learned that it only takes seconds for that mob mentality to make the SHTF. I was so surprised by how quickly it all went bad.
The crowd was getting unruly while waiting for the rap act to come out. This was shortly after the LA riots and the MC kept saying "this is not LA, please remain calm". Mob mentality quickly took off from there. A young black man in front of me took this opportunity to finish his 40 oz. malted beverage and launch the empty down from our perch into the crowd below, obliterating one girls face on impact.
Then, then SHTF and the whole crowd went bezerk. Rocks, forties and anything to cause damage was launched into the crowd. The Irish contingent of city youths was ever ready to brawl and immediately started the fisficuffs. Various gangs of blacks sought out the whites with shamrocks and any other gang rivals.
I saw two small caliber handguns being discharged into the air and one being shot into a crowd of girls. A white kid behind me was getting knifed and the younger kids were eying us suspiciously.
As we grasped the danger and we're trying to get out of harms way, my friend was engulfed in a bear hug by a huge black man in fraternity sweats. As I turned to attack, I recognized him as a high school football teammate who had been bussed to my school from the city. He suggested that we leave under his care and we hightailed it out of there just as the BPD showed up and began cracking heads. Those batons do quite a bit of damage! we watched the ensuing riot unfold and continue down the street from the window of a bar across the street. The mounted police were now out and scattering the rioters. I saw several heads get cracked as the cops swung from their saddles and kicked the crap out of anyone who didn't make a run for it as we sipped cold beers and thanked our luck that we got out unscathed.
I learned that it only takes seconds for that mob mentality to make the SHTF. I was so surprised by how quickly it all went bad.