what is bum fighting

In the early to mid-2000s, there was a (thankfully) brief trend known as “bum fights.” Which was essentially consisting of some sick jerks paying a couple of people living on the streets a negligible sum of money to fight in front of them while they placed bets or simply cheered them on.

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What is Bumfights?

The debut release titled Bumfights Vol. 1: A Cause for Concern features primarily high school fights caught on tape and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and Donnie Brennan) in the San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas metropolitan areas attempting amateur stunts in a style inspired by the popular MTV series Jackass.

What is the moral of the bumfight case?

“The moral of the story is don’t take advantage of handicapped, disabled or homeless people,” attorney Mark Quigley, who represented the three plaintiffs, including Brennan and Hannah, said at the time. The plaintiffs claimed their civil rights had been violated in the making of Bumfights.

What was the name of the first bumfight movie?

Bumfights: A Cause for Concern (2002), was produced by Ryen McPherson, with friends Zachary Bubeck, Daniel J. Tanner, and Michael Slyman, as Indecline Films.

What did they not expect Bumfights to do?

They certainly did not expect Bumfights to have either the sales success it had or its quaked cultural impact.

Who started BumFights?

“BumFights” was produced by La Mesa-area high school student Ryan McPherson and fellow filmmakers Daniel Tanner, Zack Bubeck and Michael J. Slyman under the Indecline Films label. The video quickly rose to notoriety, with the filmmakers selling more than 300,000 copies online and making millions of dollars.

Was BumFights real?

Contrary to its title, the video does not depict homeless men actually fighting, but instead a compilation of street fights caught on tape and homeless men performing in skits and stunts. The video series immediately garnered criticism.

What happened to the bum fight guys?

In 2005, McPherson and Zachary Bubek were sentenced to 180 days in jail for failing to complete their community service. Tanner and McPherson are not to be confused with the Bumfights producer who got kicked off Dr. Phil when he showed up dressed as Dr. Phil.

Is Rufus the Stunt Bum alive?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rufus Hannah, a formerly homeless alcoholic who was paid to fight other homeless men and perform dangerous stunts in the notorious “Bumfights” videos, has died. He was 63.

What is a bumfight?

Bumfights is a video series produced by Indecline Films. The debut release titled Bumfights Vol. 1: A Cause for Concern features primarily high school fights caught on tape and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and Donnie Brennan) in the San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas metropolitan areas attempting amateur stunts in a style inspired by the popular MTV series Jackass. It was produced by Ryen McPherson, with friends Zachary Bubeck, Daniel J. Tanner, and Michael Slyman, as Indecline Films. Contrary to its title, the video does not depict homeless men actually fighting, but instead a compilation of street fights caught on tape and homeless men performing in skits and stunts.

Can you buy Bumfights on DVD?

Before the videos were banned, they were readily available for purchase on VHS and DVD through mail order and some retail stores such as skate shops carried them. Some big-name merchants such as Amazon forbid the purchase of any Bumfights films—the series survives today mostly through peer-to-peer torrents.

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What is the message behind the movie Bumfights?

McPherson, Slyman and Tanner say part of the message behind their film was to raise awareness of the homeless problem in America, indicated by the complete title of the first installment — the only production of the series’ four that Indecline controlled — Bumfights: A Cause for Concern.

Who is Zach Bubeck?

McPherson’s early videos were passed around La Mesa and beyond, catching the attention of Zach Bubeck, a Las Vegas native and freelance graphic designer living in San Diego at the time. Then in his early twenties, Bubeck — who could not be reached for comment — had seen similar tapes of homeless men, high school melees, pranks and skaters produced in Las Vegas by another teen, Danny Tanner. Amateur filmmaker Mikey Slyman, another friend of Bubeck’s, was brought into the fold, and the foursome founded a production company called Indecline.

Why did McPherson and Bubeck go to jail?

Two years later, though, McPherson and Bubeck went to prison for violating their probation. Ross and Judge Charles Ervin concluded the pair had not completed the required hours of community service after McPherson and Bubeck filed paperwork claiming they had. McPherson’s explanation for the incongruity is that he and Bubeck were trying to make the most of their community service by organizing an off-site clothing drive instead of doing maintenance work at a San Diego homeless shelter. The evidence they submitted didn’t satisfy the judge, who sentenced them each to 180 days in prison. McPherson and Bubeck each wound up serving three months.

Why did Hannah and Brennan perform?

Brennan and Hannah sometimes coaxed each other into performing stunts of their own, “mostly because people liked us and we were kidding around,” Brennan, 70 , tells Rolling Stone. “We had a lot of friends in La Mesa.”

Did the Indecline defense provide video footage?

Tanner recently told Rolling Stone that, during the preliminary hearing, the Indecline defense had provided video footage that did not make the final cut of the DVD and countered the state’s claims. “You can clearly hear my voice, several times, telling Rufus not to hit Donnie,” Tanner says of a clip. According to Ross, the videos were a last-minute submission into evidence, allowed by the judge without the prosecution having the chance to examine them. He says he later noticed subtle continuity inconsistencies within the footage, and concluded the tapes had been edited by Indecline to better their case. (McPherson denies this claim.)

bun fight

A sustained, overblown argument about a petty matter, usually personal in nature to the participants but not to everyone else.

bun fight

This train car is packed so tightly that every time we move there's a bun fight.

Who are the characters in the Bum Fights?

Bum Fights? The Bum Fights1 film series features teenagers and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and Donnie Brennan) fighting and attempting deplorable “stunts” in exchange for money, alcohol, or other incentives.

How many people died from bum bashing?

In a study released in 2014, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) found that violence against homeless individuals—often referred to as “bum bashing”—had caused the deaths of at least 379 people between 1999 and 2012. This figure represents only the incidents that were reported, says the NCH, but because homeless people tend not to have families or friends to report them missing, it is difficult to know the actual number of deaths each year.

Overview

Bumfights is a video series produced by Indecline Films. The debut release titled Bumfights Vol. 1: A Cause for Concern features primarily high school fights caught on tape and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and Donnie Brennan) in the San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas metropolitan areas attempting amateur stunts in a style inspired by the popular MTV series Jackass. It was produced by Ryen McPherson, with friends Zachary Bubeck, Daniel J. Tanner, an…

Reception

Indecline: Vol. 1—"It's Worse Than You Think"

Bumfights videos

External links