An allegedly racist comment by an elderly white man sparked a fight on an Oakland bus that has been spread all over YouTube. The comment involved the 67-year-old man asking a young black man to shine his shoes.
"The white guy was asking the black guy for a shoeshine," Iyanna Washington, the student who shot the video with a small camera, told CBS station KPIX. "And I guess the black guy took it as a racist comment, like, 'Why's a black guy have to spit shine your shoes?'"
There was a great deal of yelling back and forth before the elderly man moved to the front of the bus. The younger man followed him, and before long, a fight broke out, but it didn't quite go as expected.
"I guess he hit him across the face once," Washington said. "And then the white guy stands up and lets loose."
To the surprise of everyone, the older white man landed a flurry of punches that caused numerous injuries to the face of the younger man. The young man had a broken nose after the incident, according to Transit Spokesman Clarence Johnson. After being hit repeatedly by the old man, the young man simply laid on the floor in a daze.
The older man left the bus, but continued screaming and kicking at a newsstand. He surrendered when police showed up. Both men were taken to the hospital and reports are that he was off his medication.
Apparently, the young man underestimated the force of an old man who is no longer on his medication. I am not quite sure why this fight is newsworthy, but you have to admit that it's a little bit funny (other than the shoe shine comment, which was obviously inappropriate). The old man has become a legend on YouTube since the incident took place.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (227)
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By: EBM on 2/22/2010 9:18AM
I think it's quite obvious that the old man was a little bit crazy. Nonetheless, beard man showed that he was no push over and laid the smack down on the young punk. Let the racist comments commence cause I know they are coming --->
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By: sharkchops on 3/10/2010 4:12PM
He was a Vietnam vet so he's already seen more than any of us ever will. He may have been a little out there, being disenfranchised from the everyday world but I doubt if he was crazy. He sounded pretty coherent and sage. And he def wasn't about to take no crap from a thug/pimp-wanna-be child. 67 yo and still scrappin'.
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By: rick on 2/23/2010 11:51PM
EBM If you and your folks don't see a problem with someone coming up to a young black man and telling him to shine his shoes then yea you have a problem that black americans and people all over the world are talking about. I don't mean to sound harse or mean but some simple minded white people think this kind of behavior is o.k. but it isn't o.k. but the young man did handle it wrong but that elder gentelman is very lucky that he is still alive.
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By: EBM on 2/24/2010 7:46AM
Rick, the video doesn't show what was said leading up to the events that unfolded. If he just out of the blue came up to the young man and asked him to shine his shoes then yes, I do see a problem with that. If the old man misunderstood the young man then it may have been just an honest mistake. I do think that the old man wasn't all there upstairs. The situation could have ended at words, but the young man went up and punched the old man after he went up front.
And you couldn't be more wrong about me having a problem with black folks. My son is half black and my best friend is black and no I do not want to be black. It's people like me who see past color and help make this world a better place.
I know a lot of ignorant ass white people (black people do the same on here too) come on here spewing hate, but not all of us are like that yet we all get painted with the same white supremacist brush. I am so tired of the us vs them argument and when race is involved, sides are automatically assigned by skin color. In the case of beard man, I see a misunderstanding between two men that got out of control.
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By: marylandman003 on 2/22/2010 2:34PM
LMAO!!! did you see that field negro get his azz whooped by whitey...LMAO!!! LMAO!!! then the field negro said he'd kick whities azz next time..LMAO
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By: Bill Schrier on 2/22/2010 6:09PM
The Negro offered to shine his shoes FIRST. Note the video was rolling long before the fight ... the Negro woman egged it all on. They both had it planned ahead of time. The Negro thug threw the first punch but then got his ass kicked! He thought an old man would be a pushover, but this was one tough old guy, who is now a hero for standing up to the Negro thug.
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By: marylandman003 on 2/22/2010 8:12PM
LMAO!!! the negro thug thought he could be a bad azz,thinking he might try to show he wasnt a field negro.he wanted to be a house negro,but old whitey showed the negro that he'll always be a field negro instead of a house negro...LMAO!!
a classic day in negro american history
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By: sheryl on 2/23/2010 12:36PM
Ironically, before I started in the criminal justice field, I would look at tapes such as this one and would have thought it justified the actions. BUT...EBM, you hit the nail on the head when you stated that we don't know what led to the incident, the tape starts in the middle and by looking at it and listening to it, the young man had to have said something to the older man to make him walk toward the back of the bus. Because after they started arguing, the young man told the older man to go back to his seat. So...something happened BEFORE the tape started. If you ask me, the person taping the incident was instigating, especially when started making comments.
This tape would be thrown out in court, because the judge would have to consider the totality of the circumstances.
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By: Garcia on 2/24/2010 1:54PM
Why there is nothing in the video that shows who is crazy. C'MON ALL YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHO WAS WRONG IN THE MOVE, ON EACH OTHER.
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By: cpowers on 3/07/2010 12:27PM
I think you got it all wrong. It was obvious to me that the one who got his behind kicked was the crazy one.
The White man had sense enough to use avoidance by getting up and moving away from the problem - the nut who ended up a bloody pulp, which he well deserved - listening to that silly, immature girl (videographer), while trying to impress her.
No, the Black not only sounded crazy, picking on someone (anyone) as old as he looked, but he also looked crazy and foolish when he followed the man to the front of the bus to continue his tirade.
From the video, nutty Black guy started it by accusing the man of being a racist, just something to get it going because he and the silly girl wanted to pick on someone - anyone. They used that to get a response. I heard the innocent man ask in an incredulous-sounding voice, "Are you saying that I am racist?" There is no doubt in my mind how it all got started. The punk __ bully got his crazy-acting behind whipped. The innocent man is not the one who looked crazy. And yes, I am Black.
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