This past weekend on Saturday, I was at SIFF covering three events for them. Between the second and third movie, I decided to go get some food. I asked a few people where to go for some chow and they all recommended pizza. I walked over to where the pizza place was and saw there was a Captain Kidd burger joint and decided to go there instead because they have great burgers and awesome garlic fries.
I am sitting in the restaurant waiting for my food and I notice a homeless/drunk/crazy person (I will refer to as "the dude") knocking on the door, but not coming in. He does this twice and the second time the cashier goes over and asks him what his problem is. He says that his jacket is in the bathroom. The cashier goes over and gets his jacket and gives it to him and tells him to shoo. The dude looks at his jacket for a few minutes, walks over and kicks the door hard twice. I thought he cracked the glass. The manager comes out and starts screaming at the dude. The dude screams that they ruined his $2,000 jacket. The manager then punches the dude in the face knocking him to the ground and then punches him twice more when he is down and screams how he is going to kill him.
At this point, the cashier says to one of the other employees "better go get him." He said it like this happens all the time. The manager goes back in and no one goes near the dude. I wait to see if he gets up. He doesn't. A woman comes in and asks if the dude is okay and the cashier says "He's fine. Leave him." I then gather my stuff up and leave because I don't feel comfortable calling 9-11 in there. I get outside and a woman has called and is next to them. We help him sit up and then he decides to lay on the ground again. There was no blood and he said he was okay and didn't want an ambulance.
Two squad cars pull up. One policeman talks to the guy and calls for a fire truck to come check him out. The other takes a statement from the woman who called 9-11 and then myself. I tell him what I just told you. The fireman check him out and decide to call an ambulance to come get him. I stay until he gets in the ambulance in case the police have any follow up questions after talking to the manager.
It was quite a scene especially since there were a few people that saw the whole thing with me yet I was the only one who gave a statement. The woman who called 9-11 only saw the hitting part. Sad state of affairs when no one else can be bothered to help out.
So after that incident, I crossed the street went into Blockbuster and bought 4 DVDs for $20. I got Milk, Penelope, Vantage Point and The Visitor and then headed back to the theater vowing to go where it is recommended to eat from now on.
