SFist Interviews: Guy Who Filmed Infamous Muni Fight
Ever since lasts week's Muni bus brawl went "viral" -- a term MSM adores using repeatedly; speaking of which, a few news anchors have been using the term "cat fight" to describe the female fight, which, really? -- the clip has scored, as of Monday morning, well over a half million views. The video is disgusting yet enthralling.
SFist talked to Jonathan Perel, the passenger who managed to capture the fight on his phone. We asked Perel about what happened right after the fight, why he decided to post the brutal scene on the interwebs, and to tell us a bit about his own personal experience with violence on Muni.
SFist: Hello there. Thanks for answering a few of our questions. First off, would you tell us where you were going that day and at what time?
JP: Going to work. I live in North Beach and take the 9x/30/45 lines from Stockton and Columbus to Post and Stockton (Union Square) every day to get to work. I usually arrive at work at 9 or 10 AM.
SF: Obviously, you take these lines often?
JP: Weekdays. Any of those three lines.
SF: Before we dive into the fistfight of note, you mentioned to us that you were attacked while riding the same bus route three weeks ago. What happened to you?
JP: I got on the bus around 9:45 at Stockton/Columbus and sat in one of the rear facing seats on one of the articulated buses. I did notice that the guy sitting in the seat in the isle across from me was a little sketchy looking, but I sat down, minded my own business and started checking my email. As I was wearing sunglasses that obscured my peripheral vision, I didn't see the punch coming in, and it landed squarely on my neck. Luckily, I caught the end of the punch as he punched my while sitting down across the isle from me.
There was NO warning. I jumped up stunned and yelled out "What the FUCK" several times at him. He stayed sitting and started saying something about "a genie in my phone" and that "it would bring alcohol out of my phone". I realized the guy was probably drugged or schizophrenic (or both) and decided that the best thing to do would be to talk to the bus driver.
I made my way across the bus (it was moderately full) and got to the bus driver as we got to a stop. I told her that I had just been attacked and that the guy was not "right in his head". The bus driver continued on her route. I had to repeat several times to her that I had just been attacked before she started taking me a little more seriously, and she picked up a phone of some sort and to call in "central". Apparently, nobody picked up and she kept driving past the final two stops in Chinatown, across the tunnel, past Sutter Stockton, and to my stop at Union Square. The guy got out there and walked away, west on Geary Street. I gave the bus driver the top of one of my checks (with my contact info) and walked to a block to work to lay down (I'm pretty sure I was in shock).
SF: With regard to the fight between the two women, what made you pull out your camera?
JP: When I saw the two women stand up I knew something was about to happen. I don't know what went through my head exactly, but I think I knew it was going to be important to have evidence of what what about to happen.
SF: What kind of camera did you use?
JP: iPhone 3GS. I uploaded the clip a little bit late to youtube straight from the phone.
SF: After you turned the camera off, what happened on the bus? Did the driver, to the best of your knowledge, do anything? What about the woman who stopped the fight? What about the lady involved in the fight who remained on the bus?
JP: I stopped recording when the doors closed. I got off on the next stop. The Chinese lady stayed on the bus and was talking to other passengers. I don't really remember much after that. As far as I know the driver did nothing, and I think that it was IMPOSSIBLE that the bus driver did not hear the commotion that went on. The argument was loud and started WELL before I started recording. Even worse was that there happened to be a Muni/MTA official of some sort at the Sutter-Stockton stop (you can see him at the end of the video), and this person did NOTHING.
SF: What has been the fallout after posting the video? I imagine your inbox has been full ever since.
JP: I've given several interviews to TV and newspaper, although I don't believe any of the TV interviews ran. I was (and still am) blown away by the scale of the response. I had no idea this would happen. I uploaded it to YouTube so I could share my morning commute experience with my coworkers and Facebook friends. I twittered about it on a whim. Its so popular now that YouTube wants to put commercials on it. Wow! I have had about 50 YouTube emails about it - everything from requests to license the video, to compliments on my looks.
SF: Some people are concerned that you didn't put down your camera and stop the fight. (Something we personally disagree with; for many reason, we are proud of you for capturing the fight on Muni.) How do you respond to that?
JP: [Due too my own physical altercation] three weeks ago, my first instinctual reaction was to not get physically involved. Nevertheless, I think I recorded it because I couldn't not get involved either. When the fight went past me and the young Chinese lady started yelling for someone to grab the older Chinese lady, I was debating whether to put down the camera and jump in or not. Still, by this time the worst was over (except for a final lunging kick) and the African-American lady was off the bus. Remember that this happened VERY quickly, and in the heat of the moment it felt even faster.
I'm very glad I did what I did. If I hadn't then, for all intents and purposes, nobody would know about what happened. There would have been no consequences for anybody, and certainly none for Muni. Neither the bus driver nor the Muni official at the stop reported the incident. That's absolutely disgraceful. I'm assuming that the incident where I was attacked was swept under the proverbial mat as well. If I hadn't recorded this incident, this one would have been forgotten as well. If I had jumped in it wouldn't have made any difference, but recording it made it public to the world. I really do wish someone had recorded it when I was attacked. Maybe Muni has it on tape somewhere? I've asked their PR person whether the driver made a report of it or not. We'll see. I doubt it.
SF: Anything else you would like to tell us?
JP: Yeah...can you give me a ride to work? No way I'm taking the bus.