So...today I saw something I have NEVER seen before in all my little life....something so shocking and unbelieveable that I absolutely MUST write about it here....

Scene: After work - 5 pm, me walking through a gaggle of teens at the city hall end of the car park...
I walk through the mostly male group, no incident, cross that little street and am over by the waterfountains in front of city hall, when this lady on a bike pulls over right beside me and starts screaming behind her!

I look back over my shoulder to see what she was yelling about and the group of kids I had just walked through was a tangled mess - a huge brawl had errupted...the lady was yelling at them to stop - I looked over desperately to the bus terminal where there is, on occassion, a uniformed police officer - there is none - and by the time I look back, I see helmets flailing, and there's now a shopping cart involved in the tangled mess of at least 10 boys- the lady gets off her bike (we are about 20 feet away) still screaming at the boys to stop, when all of a sudden, people are pulling over their cars, and getting out....and STOPPING THE BRAWL!

I have been to many cities, and seen some insane things - but only in Bermuda can I say I actually saw everyday citizens stopping a fight!

KUDOS to those people...I'm slightly ashamed that I did not react at all, except to foolishly hope that there would be a police office nearby - my first line of defense no matter where else I am!

On my way home, I found allllll of the police officers - directing traffic at various points on my journey. A total of 4 in all. Would it not be an easy enough job for the construction people to handle traffic while, oh, I dunno, the police actually POLICE the streets??? Even act as a DETERRENT?

With all the negativity directed at Bermudians recently... it is very gratifying to hear your story!!  Those who stopped to help earned their own positive karma today.  

Karma J (and all those other folks)

Thanks for an alternate scene to that of the Molotov / Machete thread ... a dire read!

Wookie

To my knowledge everyone who stopped was Bermudian....

And I'd be interested to know if the kids being stopped on Cedar and the police car trying to get to the bus terminal were related incidents (which they probably were...)

I have told this story to everyone I know...people's reactions have varied greatly!

Having been raised in a large Canadian city, in the downtown core no less, I was taught that you should always try to help in these types of situations, but from afar....calling for police assistance etc.  I have never seen people just react like that and get physically involved. I just hope there is no retribution for their actions!

Good to hear. The members of the community who acted quickly to break up the brawl deserve kudos for acting so bravely... it's not wonder the kids didn't turn on them... just what these lil bastards need...! Back in the day a good cut ass would've been waiting for 'em when they got home cuz somebody's mama/cousin/auntie would've witnessed the melee and called mama and daddy already...

I would bet they were related, it was around the same time you said it was going down.  Not quite sure why the cop jumped out of his car to search these kids though they were just walking on the sidewalk on Cedar Avenue next to the park.  I can appreciate that they have a job to do, but I felt a bit sorry for them having to stand with their hands in the air while they were searched in front of a whole crowd of people along the road at that time.