This article is part of a larger effort to learn what works by seeing what happens when martial arts are employed outside the arena. If you enjoyed it, check out more MixedMartialArts.com stories on:
•Martial Arts on The Street
•Dojo Storms
•Stop Bullying
It was a mild, sunny winter day in Oakland, California. No one riding the bus that day realized they were about to witness what would become perhaps the most viewed street fight of all time. In the video, recorded by a local resident Iyanna Washington. a bearded 67-year-old man named Thomas Bruso is seen wearing a light blue T-shirt that reads “I AM a Mother F***er” on the back.
Bruso is seated near the rear of the bus, across from a man named Michael Lovette. Exactly how an argument between the pair started is unclear, but reports indicate Bruso announced plans to get his Stacy Adams shoes shined by a brother, for his mother’s funeral.
What Happened
The conversation quickly became heated, with Lovette angrily asking Bruso, “Why’s a brother got to spit shine your shoes?” Bruso then tells Lovette that he was referring to a person that “was gonna shine his shoes” and that a brother “could be anyone, he could be a Chinaman!”
After a charged exchange, Bruso says, “you ain’t scaring this white boy,” and walks away from Lovette to the front of the bus.
Much of their conversation is inaudible, and some riders discourage Lovette from approaching Bruso, while others, including Washington, encourage him to attack, saying “Say it again, Pinky!” When the verbal exchange starts to die down, Lovette begins walking back to his seat, at which point, Bruso yells “I see tough guys like you and I slap the s*** out of them!” Lovette responds “What!?”, turns around and walks back toward Bruso, and swings.
Bruso stands and punches Lovette several times, knocking him to the floor. View of the men is lost briefly, while Washington moves closer to the commotion; when view resumes, Bruso is shown with Lovette, who is now bleeding from facial injuries, in his grasp. Bruso releases Lovette, exclaiming “I told you not to f*** with me!”, and then exits the bus, and is still yelling when the bus makes its next stop.
After another exchange, Lovette returns to his seat in the rear of the bus. Washington then takes a bag Bruso left behind and carries it to the back of the bus. Washington offers Lovette the use of her recording if he wishes to press charges, but Lovette never acknowledges the offer, instead requesting an ambulance. In his adrenalized and potentially concussed state, the word comes out as “amber lamps,” a term that also went viral.
This is the original viral video. Somewhere along the way, Bruso came to be called Epic Beard Man and Vietnam Tom.
This is a video of the immediate aftermath.
And here is both men breaking down what happened, each from their perspective.
The incident inspired the 2012 film Bad Ass, starring Danny Trejo as a fictional character with parallels to Bruso, including the somewhat epic beard. Two sequels also starring Trejo, Bad Asses and Bad Asses on the Bayou, were released in 2014 and 2015.
Bruso is widely referred to as a Vietnam veteran, and acquired the nickname Vietnam Tom, but this is false. He was drafted, and spent a total of three months in the US Army before being discharged. He served no overseas duty.
And this is a follow-up, covering the very hard life that Bruso has led since, bedeviled as it is with homelessness, mental illness, and drug addiction.
The Lesson
The incident is widely understood as a heroic Vietnam veteran standing up to a bully, but the truth is more complex, and it is, ultimately, a cautionary tale. We all want to stop bullying, but sometimes it can be hard to tell who is who. If there is space to not fight, take it; then go to the gym and punch your friends.
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