There was plenty of old-fashioned ass-kicking going on in Austin on Thursday night, and Steven Spielberg from “6th Street” was there to witness it all in literal 4K.
Those of you who have followed my work over the years know that I am fascinated by the guy who chronicles these fights. His work is like watching Cops, but you get to experience the action BEFORE the cops even arrive.
In this case, you get to see the punches being thrown at Burnside’s Tavern. You get to see the hair-raising action before the 5-0s can arrive on the scene. You get to see the Biggins throwing bombs before the 5-0 horses trot in to put an end to the nonsense.
I know many of you hate seeing those videos of Americans – and probably some undocumented ones too – throwing haystacks and acting like sloppy drunks, but this is where the Spielberg of 6th Street does an integral job.
This is citizen journalism. Do you think the local newsrooms are going to go out and show the chaos on 6th Street? Absolutely not. The stations barely have enough staff to cover Friday Night Lights. They have 10 people in the weather desk and five in the news desk.
Whether it’s disgusting or not, that’s journalism.
Does society really need to see hoochies duking it out like two sumo wrestlers in the dohyō? It’s a worthwhile discussion, because progress will only come when local politicians are pressured to take action, and nothing scares them more than video footage of the chaos reaching the eyes and ears of voters.
In June, Austin police and 6th Street bars partnered to crack down on the crime and drunken shenanigans that plague the bar scene. There have been two shootings in the last year, including one in which a man was shot by police after pulling out a gun outside a club.
Thanks to the “Spielberg of 6th Street,” all eyes are on Austin’s bar scene, and measures are being taken to keep order there.
However, you won’t be able to stop everything, especially if the shot glasses have had a few too many.
