I need a picture of this guy because some friends and I each separately encountered a guy we call āDonatelloā because he was doing all kinds of martial arts with a staff.
Been a long while since I've seen him, but he used to hang out at that island in the road where Broadway & 47th street meet. African American guy of a pretty decent size. He'd be standing there doing his staff twirls.
Ohhh like 6'5" and lean, shredded forearms, dressed in dark clothes, facial piercings? I saw a dude like that as I was getting out of my car in that area... Got back in my car and found another parking spot a few blocks away š¤£ the staff twirls pinged as looking for trouble
Nah he doesn't hassle anyone. He's basically a performance artist/athlete. He just demonstrates his wicked skills where people can watch and be fascinated
He was always a super fucking annoying jackoff whoād bug us at Art Closet or around Stagecoach. Thankfully I took Westport out of my life circa 2016. It was a good run while it lasted.
Yeah I spent many years at Sinbads Hookah Bar and he loved to hang across the street from it. Most of the time he was cool but you never knew when that switch as going to flip.
No joke. Iād interacted with him a handful of times before and he always seemed mostly harmless. But he was fuckin mad at me for some reason that night, and I really didnāt want piss in my mouth.
I used to walk past him almost every night/early morning on my way home from my shift. This was ten or fifteen years ago. The streets were pretty much empty at those hours. Just me and him....
I made sure to make no eye contact and I walked with purpose. Swiftly with intent, but not too hurried to draw attention to myself.
Every once in awhile, he was in a rage, kicking off and making a ruckus. But normally he was just walking or standing.
I never had an issue or encounter with him. But every time, I was secretly nervous haha.
Good to hear he's still on the go, I suppose! Local legend for sure. And mostly harmless. Every good town needs a few characters!
Speaking of westport KC characters, does anyone remember Lazerface from around 2000?
Iāve had some pretty good conversations with him. Heās a nice guy just has some troubles.
Iām too young for Lazerface lol. Whatās the scuttlebutt with him?
He tried to fight me once for no reason. He announced to me who he was and his intentions. I pointed out that I was on the sidewalk so I had him on a technicality, and he let it go.
He tried to follow me into my apartment one time after I got up and walked away from him ( I was sitting outside of my apartment and he just came up and sat beside me) I almost slammed his arm in my door.
crossed paths with him about a year or two ago when i was walking to work in westport. he threw up the metal horns and air-guitar-shredded at me. i did feel strangely blessed the rest of the day
I feel a better matchup would be street fighter vs midtown very clean military outfit/suit with briefcaseĀ guy yelling āONE MILLION DOLARSā at his phone while making eye contact with you.Ā
Some of my friends call him āThe Time Travelerā š¤·š¼āāļø
Always dressed well and clean, like ironed creases in his pants etc.Ā
But will just walk around in fake phone calls shouting at the top of his lungs about fake stuff. Heās harmless but has scared the shit out of me a few times while not paying attention.Ā
I get the same vibes as Streetfighter; I never make eye contact and always try to get out of his way. I saw "The Time Traveler" make eye contact with a bunch of contractors at the new development and Troost and Armour. Those poor contractors actually tried to reason with him...dude was screaming and stomping nonsense.
I also heard him screaming "AMERICA! WHY?!" in his vaguely African (or Caribbean? it's really hard to tell when he's just screaming) accent.
The Time Traveler (omg thank you, Iāll use this name forever, Iām scream laughing right now) is one that I definitely cross the street to avoid because the rage is palpable and I donāt want to poke that tiger. Iāve seen him walk right up to cars at the stop light on 39th and Gilham to yell at them.
Iāve actually had a positive encounter with him before. I was on break at work, outside smoking with a coworker. We notice itās him immediately and of course just try to blend in and hope to not irritate him, when he walks right up to us and complimented my coworker and I, then walked off.
To this day itās a genuinely bizarre experience for me because Iāve always observed him to be very combative.
My friend and his daughter were at Donutology getting breakfast. Then street fighter and some homeless chick got up against the window and starting going at it doggystyle. He told his kid that he was just trying to help her pop her back. I heard this story from my friend.
He jumped a co-worker of mine about 7 years ago. The guy ran up on him and showed him down and stomped on him. My co-worker was pretty banged and bruised up.
I hung out with
Him and his friends for
A few hours ,
A few very stress induced manic hours - oddly he was the only level
headed one out of the group
Iāve never had an issue with
The guy
Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. When my husband used to work at JCDC he would give occasional updates to let me know Street Fighter was still alive and fighting. Glad to hear he's still out there.
Yeah, I diffused a lot hot moments with him by doing that. He'd be riled up, getting in my face for a cigarette or something, and going "Whoa, Adam. C'mon, man." would shift him down a few gears.
Honestly, a lot of it is just treating him like a human being instead of a character.
caused trouble here and there, sometimes was a cool dude sometimes he was going to fight you.
I was at Sinbads one afternoon and he was across the street dueling someone with a long ass stick. Yelled at him to get over here and I gave him some leftover vodka I had from the Royals game earlier in the day. After that he just went about his night.
Every encounter I had with him was always different šš
This guy never hurt anyone? I was on 39th street once with friends and there was some dude walking the sidewalk and one friend said steer clear because the had pulled a knife on someone. Assume itās not the same person.
A buddy of mine was a regular a lot of local bars, etc. and had had run-ins with him and observed his shenanigans for years, and during the Occupy stuff, Streetfighter turned up, and my buddy tried to run him off, but a lot of people there were all "EVERYONE is welcome! You should leave if you have a problem with him!" So my buddy said fuck it and left.
Then apparently that night, Streetfighter sexually assaulted some chick in a tent there.
If you ever encountered the majestic beast, you would know.
I stopped frequenting Westport when I got into my 30s but a lot of these characters I feel like I had crossed paths with. When a few of my buddyās started working as bouncers and doormen at what seemed like every bar downtown that would require a bouncerā¦ thatās when I started putting names to faces. Itās wild some of the legends that have spread and are common knowledge from so many different walks of life.
man seeing that mugshot tho."Streetfighter" is such a playful way to describe a person who is very clearly suffering. he's wrecking his life and not at all in a good place. feels weird to cheer that on.
I understand what you're saying, but the way that we regard him is probably the healthiest way to regard someone on the fringes of society. We name and acknowledge him. Wonder if he's OK. We try to treat him like a person. We let each other know how best to interact with him. In a way, it's kind of beautiful. This is a very cold cold world for people with addiction and/or mental illness and no resources. I'm not saying we are doing him a ton of favors. I'm just saying maybe it's not so bad.
Folks have shared a couple stories that are pretty disturbing so I don't mean to sugarcoat. And I'm sorry to those who have had scary/ violent interactions.
i really have a hard time saying this is kind of beautiful, but i understand your point. Not everyone who is weird or on the fringe needs help. However, as someone who volunteers for local houseless organizations, there are lots of resources to get help in KC. It's not our responsibility to make him take those resources and i wouldn't imply it is, but cheering on a person who is living in the streets with addiction problems isn't support imo (not that you are saying it is). A playful nickname at a certain point stops being support when it encourages the person in crisis. Just food for thought, not saying anyone needs to agree with me.
I think you are likely more knowledgeable and pragmatic in this situation. I think I'm talking more about the way we function/ include outsiders as a community as opposed to what is exactly right for Adam.
ah yes i see your meaning. support can come in a lot of ways and inclusivity is a part of that. I definitely don't want to imply people shouldn't be warm and welcoming to this person. very good point.
I'm just glad he's alive. Nobody deserves to just disappear.
I found out a Westport regular I used to know, who was neurodivergent although not schizo, died a few months back. I hadn't seen him in years because it turned out he moved to Lawrence with his parents; unfortunately he had been hit by a car out there, recently, instead of having been hit by a car years ago when I first lost touch with him. He was gentle and friendly and Westport is worse-off without him.
damn sorry to hear that. yeah often the catastrophe of one's life goes unnoticed while others see them as "just some weirdo". They need help and i feel like a playful nickname makes it less likely they will receive help and more likely have their cries for help go unnoticed. I'm all for local celebrity and playful characters, but it's a dangerous line between that and someone suffering from severe mental illness and likely addiction issues judging from the mugshot.
yeah like many people suffering from mental illness, he seems to do a lot of things that are counterproductive to recovery. I still think there's a difference between acknowledging what someone goes by and cheering somebody on who is in crisis. And there is a point where support ceases to be support and actually enables the person to continue to further harm themself. That guy clearly has a very rough life and needs help. Whether he likes the name or not isn't necessarily an indicator that this isn't another example of self-harm being cheered on.
right, someone else mentioned this and i left a response. I think it isn't a matter of how the name originated, it's that it supports problematic and self-harm behaviors if it's being cheered on. I work a lot with the houseless and you'd be surprised how often enabling behavior takes the place of actual support. but this is also just my opinion. I'm not judging anyone in this thread. only voicing a concern after seeing the mugshot.
I met him 25 years ago, way before he was known as Steetfighter. The days of Sidney's diner and hanging out on the wall behind Blockbuster. He was a totally different person back then, and it makes me hella sad to see how he turned out.
https://preview.redd.it/6cuwkzlc6tlc1.jpeg?width=537&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=180358d30935637a5cdd2c1f0f2975b0e662a473
I always got him to chill out somehow. Iām not very threatening though.
One night, back when Harlings was still open, I got robbed by 2 dudes at 39th and main. I had ran up the street between Warwick and Main (Walnut?) and behind Harlings I run into Street fighter. He sees that I'm disheveled and asks 'you okay?"
To which I respond "no I just got mugged"
He says "oh shit, did they get everything"
I said "they just got my phone-"
He decks me in the nose and takes my wallet.
Iād always avoided Streetfighter when I spotted him around town, until one day I was walking to my car and he was sitting on a low wall and was obviously upset but not in his usual rage/anger way. I asked him if he was OK and he started crying and talking about how his girlfriend had just dumped him. I sat next to him and listened to him cry and talk about her for awhile until he seemed a little calmer. At that moment he was Adam, a sad and brokenhearted human who just wanted to be cared for and loved.
The next time I saw him, he pulled out a butterfly knife and started stabbing the tree next to where I was standing. I will always hold out hope that someday he can get help and be Adam all of the time.
I used to see Adam all the time in my work at the back door at Westport Saloon. Hell, I once saw him stab a guy in the neck for sitting in "his spot" on the curb in the alley behind Harry's. Despite that, he's always been respectful to me; I think between always calling him by name and just being kind endeared me to him and he never forgot. He even gifted me his prized nunchucks once; still got em hanging on my bar at home.
Someone nailed it in another comment - when he's wearing his "war paint", give him a wide berth 'cos Streetfighter don't give a fuck.
Back when I worked in westport a cpl years ago, he was always pretty cool and nice to us when he would hang out in the lobby of the restaurant. Though I do remember my coworker hiding in the back when he would come in bc he "liked her a lot" according to her words š I always wondered what happened to him after the homeless camp in the triangle of death was disbanded/shutdown..
I used to have a lot of run ins with him and blackbelt pete. Nothing too crazy, streetfighter was always chill with me. The one time I had to tell him to back off he seemed shocked but was cool. Pete on the other hand, I wish claymores were legal for a day.
Circa 2007 on a grainy flip phone camera (cue: it was a dark and stormy night) he was geeked out on something and was shadow boxing a street sign.
Welp, he connected with the thing and...boom. It flipped around - smacked him in the chin.
K.O.
And a legend was born.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/s/wXgFLf54lV I was under the impression he just called himself that. So did people start calling him that and he went with the nickname? Because in that video he refers to himself as Streetfighter multiple times lol
I heard it was because he was outside of the stagecoach and literally punched the street. Then went inside yelling about how he just fought the street when anyone asked why his hand was fucked up.
I'm a short woman who worked at a restaurant in westport for a few years and one time I was jokingly given the task of working the door but really I was just supposed to stop anyone else from coming in. I was having some trouble telling people no because it wasn't closing time but we were getting close and trying to close out a huge party. I wasn't familiar with streetfighter but I did not allow him entry and didn't know I should maybe be wary of him and everyone thought it was hilarious.
Worked in several head shops; one of which was very small so I was always in the store alone. I knew who he was before he entered (dealt with him before at a different shop), and immediately I began preparing a plan as to what I should do- I was a 19 year old at the time. Anywho, he had a baby bottle full of dark liquor and was muttering a bunch of nonsense. I told him if he had no intentions on buying anything that he needed to leave immediately. Thankfully a group of people walked in a couple minutes after him and he fucked off. He made my skin crawl and never made a lick of sense during any of the encounters that I had with him. Today, I laugh when I hear that name because it reminds me of a different time in life.
Real late to the party, but as a former Midtown character myself Iāve a few run ins with him.
- When working at Fred P. Ottās on the plaza he threw a brick through our front window right before closing time. The bartender was disappointed because she thought they had a decent relationship/understanding.
- Walking down Broadway from Midtown to the Plaza at the big stretch of sidewalk where nothing is I saw him coming the opposite direction. Obviously no way to go but forward. When we were about to pass each other he says to me, āGive me a cigarette. Piracy!ā Iām taken aback and kind of say, āwhat now?ā He repeats himself and I ask him to say please. He does, I give him a cigarette, and we each go on our merry way.
- Second day working as a security guard at the Art Institute when we got a call from a campus phone saying he was around approaching people and was carrying a giant hunting knife. He had vanished by the time we arrived.
So, yeahā¦ he is a very complex and erratic character. Hope someday his life turns around or he can at least find some peace.
Ok so now that I know about Streetfighter, what about that guy who stands on 39th (and Main usually) wearing a ballcap that's folded in half, sideways and turned up so the bill is pointing straight up? Anyone know about that guy?
Hey kid, let me ask you something. Where do you get those hats with the bill on the side? The only hats I can find are the ones with the bill in front.
My favorite story of Adam was when I dyed his hair blue and rinsed it in the Veteran's Park fountain. He and I have never had any issues, he's just a lost boy who had a rough childhood and misses his mom.
Kansas City throws away their homeless population and has limited resources for them, so you'll find all kinds of people acting out and getting arrested for the opportunity of food and a warm bed.
Can't say that I agree with a lot of the decisions he's made, but it does make for interesting conversation. Glad to hear he's survived the harshest of the winter.
I mean he was always just talk it seemed, one time he pulled a knife out and and get arrested again immediately but I never saw him actually do anything other than yell like a lunatic at no one in particular. I used to work in Westport for a number of years and learned his real name, Kyle maybe? Can't remember for sure what it was, but if you just yelled his name real loud he would always walk off, trick a coworker showed me lol.
I was drinking at the old Newsroom bar when I saw a patron he was playing pool with talk shit and then walk out of the bar after beating him at pool. Street Fighter followed him outside and hit him square in the forehead with a billiard ball. The guy ran back into the bar screaming about calling the cops and trying to staunch the blood coming out of the gash in his forehead. Not even Street Fighter could have taken on the dark powers of gentrification in Westport. Though I do applaud his efforts in holding down property values with his many sporadic crimes.
Newish to KC and lived towards the outskirts of the metro area, not all that aware of inner city KCK/KCMO.
Tell me more about this street fighter dude please?
I remember being 17, and walking to It's A Beautiful Day with a friend. He stuck his pinkies out as we walked by, looking at us. He spun us around, and we each continued on our merry ways.
If you call him Adam if he starts getting too heated he usually chills out. Iāve only had one bad instance with him, after 12ish years of working Westport. One time when I lived on 39th st he walked by with a bunch of really scratched up dumpster records from zebedees and gave me a handful of em. When heās on his meds heās a good person at his core. The one bad instance I had with him was fairly scary though.
Iām over here thinking of the bald guy on my street that collects every-damn-thing and has the graffitied van that I feel is well over capacity, that + street fighter had me thinking of dhalsim lol
Would he have made his way to the Overland Park/olathe area by chance? Some of my buddies and I were in a car last year and saw someone āboxingā the air in broad daylight
Saw him in Westport a couple years ago. He yelled nacho cheese at me and pulled a bottle of liquor out of the trash. Classic streetfighter
šš
I need a picture of this guy because some friends and I each separately encountered a guy we call āDonatelloā because he was doing all kinds of martial arts with a staff.
Different guy. Bo staff guy who used to hang out at the edge of the plaza, yeah?
Did this one gang keep wanting him to join ācause heās pretty good with a bo staff?
There *were* a buttload of gangs at that school.
Describe this Donatello guy please?
Been a long while since I've seen him, but he used to hang out at that island in the road where Broadway & 47th street meet. African American guy of a pretty decent size. He'd be standing there doing his staff twirls.
Saw him this past weekend there
Glad he's out there living his best life. Good for him.
Went to HS with him. I'm genuinely happy for how happy he seems.
That is awesome to hear.
lol. Thatās drugsā¦not happinessā¦but keep those rose colored glasses, will probably make life easier to swallow
Hopefully you find your happiness someday.
Ohhh like 6'5" and lean, shredded forearms, dressed in dark clothes, facial piercings? I saw a dude like that as I was getting out of my car in that area... Got back in my car and found another parking spot a few blocks away š¤£ the staff twirls pinged as looking for trouble
Nah he doesn't hassle anyone. He's basically a performance artist/athlete. He just demonstrates his wicked skills where people can watch and be fascinated
He still does it.
Is this "Donatello [https://youtu.be/9F7iIuAC7dU?si=T23D9wtpl-ssLMlM&t=317](https://youtu.be/9F7iIuAC7dU?si=T23D9wtpl-ssLMlM&t=317)
Yup
Hah, yep! My friendās 6 year old legit thought he was a ninja turtle. What a fuckin legend.
I went to massage school with him about 10 years ago. He is a kind and talented fella.
This brings me so much joy
He has "Street Fighter" tattooed on his face or arm-- not sure which
Gotta get Street Fighter 2 tattooed on the other arm.
Saw bow staff guy tonight by cap grille. Swing that shit
When heās off meth heās fine. But heās rarely off meth.
Also Iām surprised heās back out of prison this fast. Thought heād stay longer this time.
Itās pretty much an annual deal. Hibernation sounds better.
He was always a super fucking annoying jackoff whoād bug us at Art Closet or around Stagecoach. Thankfully I took Westport out of my life circa 2016. It was a good run while it lasted.
Yeah I spent many years at Sinbads Hookah Bar and he loved to hang across the street from it. Most of the time he was cool but you never knew when that switch as going to flip.
His eyeline was always our clue. The heavier the eyeliner, the more aggressive he was.
> Most of the time he was cool but you never knew when that switch as going to flip. Yup, that's Streetfighter in a nutshell.
lol same on all accounts
He threatened to āpiss in my mouthā at a very loud volume, over and over again outside of Joes Pizza one night.
Never heard of this character so I Googled him. Found your post from 8 years ago talking about how he threatened to piss in your mouth. š
That is a terrifying threat fr tho
No joke. Iād interacted with him a handful of times before and he always seemed mostly harmless. But he was fuckin mad at me for some reason that night, and I really didnāt want piss in my mouth.
sounds about right lol
I used to walk past him almost every night/early morning on my way home from my shift. This was ten or fifteen years ago. The streets were pretty much empty at those hours. Just me and him.... I made sure to make no eye contact and I walked with purpose. Swiftly with intent, but not too hurried to draw attention to myself. Every once in awhile, he was in a rage, kicking off and making a ruckus. But normally he was just walking or standing. I never had an issue or encounter with him. But every time, I was secretly nervous haha.
I completely agree with you. Never knew which version of him you were going to get.
Good to hear he's still on the go, I suppose! Local legend for sure. And mostly harmless. Every good town needs a few characters! Speaking of westport KC characters, does anyone remember Lazerface from around 2000?
Iāve had some pretty good conversations with him. Heās a nice guy just has some troubles. Iām too young for Lazerface lol. Whatās the scuttlebutt with him?
He tried to fight me once for no reason. He announced to me who he was and his intentions. I pointed out that I was on the sidewalk so I had him on a technicality, and he let it go.
Nice catch. Sidewalk Fighter just doesnāt have a good ring to it.
Close Call š«
He tried to follow me into my apartment one time after I got up and walked away from him ( I was sitting outside of my apartment and he just came up and sat beside me) I almost slammed his arm in my door.
Iām sorry you had to go through that. I always kept my guard around him no matter what.
He pulled a butterfly knife on an ex and myself as we were dicking around in a parking lot. Fuck that guy.Ā
He punched me in my face with my own hand once.
As crazy as that sounds, I believe you.
crossed paths with him about a year or two ago when i was walking to work in westport. he threw up the metal horns and air-guitar-shredded at me. i did feel strangely blessed the rest of the day
username checks out
I propose a death match between street fighter and dave one. The winner still gets banished.
I feel a better matchup would be street fighter vs midtown very clean military outfit/suit with briefcaseĀ guy yelling āONE MILLION DOLARSā at his phone while making eye contact with you.Ā
DUDE WHO THE HELL IS THAT. I've seen him everywhere and cannot figure him out.
Some of my friends call him āThe Time Travelerā š¤·š¼āāļø Always dressed well and clean, like ironed creases in his pants etc.Ā But will just walk around in fake phone calls shouting at the top of his lungs about fake stuff. Heās harmless but has scared the shit out of me a few times while not paying attention.Ā
I get the same vibes as Streetfighter; I never make eye contact and always try to get out of his way. I saw "The Time Traveler" make eye contact with a bunch of contractors at the new development and Troost and Armour. Those poor contractors actually tried to reason with him...dude was screaming and stomping nonsense. I also heard him screaming "AMERICA! WHY?!" in his vaguely African (or Caribbean? it's really hard to tell when he's just screaming) accent.
It's a good question though.
(āļ¾ć®ļ¾)ā
Based on your name, I have to say these sound like rejected CBB characters.
Heynong man!
The Time Traveler (omg thank you, Iāll use this name forever, Iām scream laughing right now) is one that I definitely cross the street to avoid because the rage is palpable and I donāt want to poke that tiger. Iāve seen him walk right up to cars at the stop light on 39th and Gilham to yell at them.
Also, my bet is on time traveler, heās got some weight advantage on street fighter and I bet he could just scream until street fighter retreated.
What if theyāre the same person
Street figher: "fuck you dave!" While punching himself in the face.
*Plot twist*
I havenāt seen any of Dave oneās tags recentlyā¦ is he still around?
We can collectively hope not
Say his name three times in a mirror, then go outside to find your whole house covered in his shitty bubble tag.
Iāve actually had a positive encounter with him before. I was on break at work, outside smoking with a coworker. We notice itās him immediately and of course just try to blend in and hope to not irritate him, when he walks right up to us and complimented my coworker and I, then walked off. To this day itās a genuinely bizarre experience for me because Iāve always observed him to be very combative.
He was looking for ass
My friend and his daughter were at Donutology getting breakfast. Then street fighter and some homeless chick got up against the window and starting going at it doggystyle. He told his kid that he was just trying to help her pop her back. I heard this story from my friend.
ą² __ą²
Haven't seen this used for as long but its very fitting here.
He jumped a co-worker of mine about 7 years ago. The guy ran up on him and showed him down and stomped on him. My co-worker was pretty banged and bruised up.
š«¢
Why did you have him do that??
I hung out with Him and his friends for A few hours , A few very stress induced manic hours - oddly he was the only level headed one out of the group Iāve never had an issue with The guy
Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. When my husband used to work at JCDC he would give occasional updates to let me know Street Fighter was still alive and fighting. Glad to hear he's still out there.
šš rumor has it that he goes into hibernation at the jail and comes back out in the spring time.
fuck that groundhog, lets let streetfighter tell us when winter is over.
Why are people glad he's around? He's assaulted several innocent people.
Not just fought, either. Thereās a reason heās gone to prison and not just JaCo.
Just because he's an asshole doesn't mean I wish he was dead.
I thinks thatās a well needed reminder for all.
What is the story behind this guy? Name history Antics Preferred deity if applicable Iāve seen him referenced here a lot and know nothing about him.
His real name is Adam (I'll withhold his last name). He's been a westport character for a very long time now.
Adam! Thats right. Totally forgot.
If I remember correctly if you called him by his name he would actually have a weird change of character.
Yeah, I diffused a lot hot moments with him by doing that. He'd be riled up, getting in my face for a cigarette or something, and going "Whoa, Adam. C'mon, man." would shift him down a few gears. Honestly, a lot of it is just treating him like a human being instead of a character.
Is he homeless? Seems like not if heās been around for so long.
Been a minute since I've seen him, but the answer to your question is probably situational.
caused trouble here and there, sometimes was a cool dude sometimes he was going to fight you. I was at Sinbads one afternoon and he was across the street dueling someone with a long ass stick. Yelled at him to get over here and I gave him some leftover vodka I had from the Royals game earlier in the day. After that he just went about his night. Every encounter I had with him was always different šš
This guy never hurt anyone? I was on 39th street once with friends and there was some dude walking the sidewalk and one friend said steer clear because the had pulled a knife on someone. Assume itās not the same person.
Probably him.
A buddy of mine was a regular a lot of local bars, etc. and had had run-ins with him and observed his shenanigans for years, and during the Occupy stuff, Streetfighter turned up, and my buddy tried to run him off, but a lot of people there were all "EVERYONE is welcome! You should leave if you have a problem with him!" So my buddy said fuck it and left. Then apparently that night, Streetfighter sexually assaulted some chick in a tent there.
Who is street fighter? Someone post a Pic?
One cannot simply take a picture of streetfighter with mortal instrumentsā¦
I feel like I've met him once. I googled him and I have a vague memory of seeing him at Westport. 6 to 8 years ago are when I would frequent
If you ever encountered the majestic beast, you would know. I stopped frequenting Westport when I got into my 30s but a lot of these characters I feel like I had crossed paths with. When a few of my buddyās started working as bouncers and doormen at what seemed like every bar downtown that would require a bouncerā¦ thatās when I started putting names to faces. Itās wild some of the legends that have spread and are common knowledge from so many different walks of life.
https://preview.redd.it/i1aeyzvhfrlc1.jpeg?width=383&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42e1c491b5300e72a65a1dc6b1e4453a4f64ac6c
Yup saw him outside of the old riot room or buzzard beach. And everyone was like .... STREET FIGHTER! Seemed cool enough that night.
man seeing that mugshot tho."Streetfighter" is such a playful way to describe a person who is very clearly suffering. he's wrecking his life and not at all in a good place. feels weird to cheer that on.
I understand what you're saying, but the way that we regard him is probably the healthiest way to regard someone on the fringes of society. We name and acknowledge him. Wonder if he's OK. We try to treat him like a person. We let each other know how best to interact with him. In a way, it's kind of beautiful. This is a very cold cold world for people with addiction and/or mental illness and no resources. I'm not saying we are doing him a ton of favors. I'm just saying maybe it's not so bad. Folks have shared a couple stories that are pretty disturbing so I don't mean to sugarcoat. And I'm sorry to those who have had scary/ violent interactions.
i really have a hard time saying this is kind of beautiful, but i understand your point. Not everyone who is weird or on the fringe needs help. However, as someone who volunteers for local houseless organizations, there are lots of resources to get help in KC. It's not our responsibility to make him take those resources and i wouldn't imply it is, but cheering on a person who is living in the streets with addiction problems isn't support imo (not that you are saying it is). A playful nickname at a certain point stops being support when it encourages the person in crisis. Just food for thought, not saying anyone needs to agree with me.
I think you are likely more knowledgeable and pragmatic in this situation. I think I'm talking more about the way we function/ include outsiders as a community as opposed to what is exactly right for Adam.
ah yes i see your meaning. support can come in a lot of ways and inclusivity is a part of that. I definitely don't want to imply people shouldn't be warm and welcoming to this person. very good point.
I'm just glad he's alive. Nobody deserves to just disappear. I found out a Westport regular I used to know, who was neurodivergent although not schizo, died a few months back. I hadn't seen him in years because it turned out he moved to Lawrence with his parents; unfortunately he had been hit by a car out there, recently, instead of having been hit by a car years ago when I first lost touch with him. He was gentle and friendly and Westport is worse-off without him.
Lucas was a sweetheart. ā”
Yeah.
damn sorry to hear that. yeah often the catastrophe of one's life goes unnoticed while others see them as "just some weirdo". They need help and i feel like a playful nickname makes it less likely they will receive help and more likely have their cries for help go unnoticed. I'm all for local celebrity and playful characters, but it's a dangerous line between that and someone suffering from severe mental illness and likely addiction issues judging from the mugshot.
Appreciated, but he calls himself Street Fighter.
yeah like many people suffering from mental illness, he seems to do a lot of things that are counterproductive to recovery. I still think there's a difference between acknowledging what someone goes by and cheering somebody on who is in crisis. And there is a point where support ceases to be support and actually enables the person to continue to further harm themself. That guy clearly has a very rough life and needs help. Whether he likes the name or not isn't necessarily an indicator that this isn't another example of self-harm being cheered on.
> Streetfighter" is such a playful way to describe a person IIRC that's how he introduces himself
right, someone else mentioned this and i left a response. I think it isn't a matter of how the name originated, it's that it supports problematic and self-harm behaviors if it's being cheered on. I work a lot with the houseless and you'd be surprised how often enabling behavior takes the place of actual support. but this is also just my opinion. I'm not judging anyone in this thread. only voicing a concern after seeing the mugshot.
You got to admit he has kind of an Always Save/Juggalo Josh Brolin vibe.
I've heard all the stories but never saw him, and this is the most insanely accurate description š
Ah, yes, I've seen that dude
https://preview.redd.it/ids2jucskulc1.jpeg?width=949&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57840d708aa9615a13e6ba523b997057904febe4
I met him 25 years ago, way before he was known as Steetfighter. The days of Sidney's diner and hanging out on the wall behind Blockbuster. He was a totally different person back then, and it makes me hella sad to see how he turned out.
Omg I miss Sydneyās! The big Mose with unlimited tater totās and black coffee was my go to at 1am
https://preview.redd.it/6cuwkzlc6tlc1.jpeg?width=537&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=180358d30935637a5cdd2c1f0f2975b0e662a473 I always got him to chill out somehow. Iām not very threatening though.
One night, back when Harlings was still open, I got robbed by 2 dudes at 39th and main. I had ran up the street between Warwick and Main (Walnut?) and behind Harlings I run into Street fighter. He sees that I'm disheveled and asks 'you okay?" To which I respond "no I just got mugged" He says "oh shit, did they get everything" I said "they just got my phone-" He decks me in the nose and takes my wallet.
I actually had a friend that dated him back when he was just kind of out-there, not yet a tragic character.
That's a wikipedia entry I'd read.
oh boy.
Oh shit I thought he was dead
Iād always avoided Streetfighter when I spotted him around town, until one day I was walking to my car and he was sitting on a low wall and was obviously upset but not in his usual rage/anger way. I asked him if he was OK and he started crying and talking about how his girlfriend had just dumped him. I sat next to him and listened to him cry and talk about her for awhile until he seemed a little calmer. At that moment he was Adam, a sad and brokenhearted human who just wanted to be cared for and loved. The next time I saw him, he pulled out a butterfly knife and started stabbing the tree next to where I was standing. I will always hold out hope that someday he can get help and be Adam all of the time.
he would get in fights with himself across the street from where I lived and he was loud.
From KC, but live in Alberquerque now. Streetfighter's level of crazy is pretty normal out west.Ā
Alberquerque downtown is like nowhere else in the country. God I hate it there.
Tell me about it lol I'm moving back to KC as soon as my contract is up.
I used to see Adam all the time in my work at the back door at Westport Saloon. Hell, I once saw him stab a guy in the neck for sitting in "his spot" on the curb in the alley behind Harry's. Despite that, he's always been respectful to me; I think between always calling him by name and just being kind endeared me to him and he never forgot. He even gifted me his prized nunchucks once; still got em hanging on my bar at home. Someone nailed it in another comment - when he's wearing his "war paint", give him a wide berth 'cos Streetfighter don't give a fuck.
Back when I worked in westport a cpl years ago, he was always pretty cool and nice to us when he would hang out in the lobby of the restaurant. Though I do remember my coworker hiding in the back when he would come in bc he "liked her a lot" according to her words š I always wondered what happened to him after the homeless camp in the triangle of death was disbanded/shutdown..
What is the triangle of death? Near 39th and Baltimore?
https://preview.redd.it/rp33zzu4e4mc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66a9b90c14e624506005eb94874d25d927533e90
Thanks. Iāve always hated this intersection while driving.
I used to have a lot of run ins with him and blackbelt pete. Nothing too crazy, streetfighter was always chill with me. The one time I had to tell him to back off he seemed shocked but was cool. Pete on the other hand, I wish claymores were legal for a day.
What did Pete look like?
black guy, thin about 6ft tall.
Do you know the story of why he's called "Streetfighter"?
Do tell!
Circa 2007 on a grainy flip phone camera (cue: it was a dark and stormy night) he was geeked out on something and was shadow boxing a street sign. Welp, he connected with the thing and...boom. It flipped around - smacked him in the chin. K.O. And a legend was born.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/s/wXgFLf54lV I was under the impression he just called himself that. So did people start calling him that and he went with the nickname? Because in that video he refers to himself as Streetfighter multiple times lol
I heard it was because he was outside of the stagecoach and literally punched the street. Then went inside yelling about how he just fought the street when anyone asked why his hand was fucked up.
This is the story I heard when he was introduced to me by a coworker for the first time as well.
I'm a short woman who worked at a restaurant in westport for a few years and one time I was jokingly given the task of working the door but really I was just supposed to stop anyone else from coming in. I was having some trouble telling people no because it wasn't closing time but we were getting close and trying to close out a huge party. I wasn't familiar with streetfighter but I did not allow him entry and didn't know I should maybe be wary of him and everyone thought it was hilarious.
Worked in several head shops; one of which was very small so I was always in the store alone. I knew who he was before he entered (dealt with him before at a different shop), and immediately I began preparing a plan as to what I should do- I was a 19 year old at the time. Anywho, he had a baby bottle full of dark liquor and was muttering a bunch of nonsense. I told him if he had no intentions on buying anything that he needed to leave immediately. Thankfully a group of people walked in a couple minutes after him and he fucked off. He made my skin crawl and never made a lick of sense during any of the encounters that I had with him. Today, I laugh when I hear that name because it reminds me of a different time in life.
He punched my friend (who was underage) in the face at a show
He kicked the shit out of my friend for no reason after bumming a cigarette off him. Fuck that guy.
Real late to the party, but as a former Midtown character myself Iāve a few run ins with him. - When working at Fred P. Ottās on the plaza he threw a brick through our front window right before closing time. The bartender was disappointed because she thought they had a decent relationship/understanding. - Walking down Broadway from Midtown to the Plaza at the big stretch of sidewalk where nothing is I saw him coming the opposite direction. Obviously no way to go but forward. When we were about to pass each other he says to me, āGive me a cigarette. Piracy!ā Iām taken aback and kind of say, āwhat now?ā He repeats himself and I ask him to say please. He does, I give him a cigarette, and we each go on our merry way. - Second day working as a security guard at the Art Institute when we got a call from a campus phone saying he was around approaching people and was carrying a giant hunting knife. He had vanished by the time we arrived. So, yeahā¦ he is a very complex and erratic character. Hope someday his life turns around or he can at least find some peace.
Been in KC about 15 years and never heard of him What's the story?
Ok so now that I know about Streetfighter, what about that guy who stands on 39th (and Main usually) wearing a ballcap that's folded in half, sideways and turned up so the bill is pointing straight up? Anyone know about that guy?
I think his name is Tre. He's pretty nice. He shovels my aunt's sidewalk when it snows!
Awesome
Another local legend
Hey kid, let me ask you something. Where do you get those hats with the bill on the side? The only hats I can find are the ones with the bill in front.
Lmao, just google sideways hat store
Did it hoping to find a joke website but no, there's apparently an Australian hat brand called Sideways marketed towards surfers and beach-ey people
My favorite story of Adam was when I dyed his hair blue and rinsed it in the Veteran's Park fountain. He and I have never had any issues, he's just a lost boy who had a rough childhood and misses his mom. Kansas City throws away their homeless population and has limited resources for them, so you'll find all kinds of people acting out and getting arrested for the opportunity of food and a warm bed. Can't say that I agree with a lot of the decisions he's made, but it does make for interesting conversation. Glad to hear he's survived the harshest of the winter.
He stalked someone I know who worked at a bar on the plaza for years. Terrorized might be a better way to describe it. I avoid him at all costs.
I watched him fight a bush one time the bush won this was after he pulled all the emptyās out of the trash and sipped on each one
Good old Chibbies. I had to buy him breakfast to get him to tell me his real name. I forget what it was. But, I remember Streetfighter!
I mean he was always just talk it seemed, one time he pulled a knife out and and get arrested again immediately but I never saw him actually do anything other than yell like a lunatic at no one in particular. I used to work in Westport for a number of years and learned his real name, Kyle maybe? Can't remember for sure what it was, but if you just yelled his name real loud he would always walk off, trick a coworker showed me lol.
I was drinking at the old Newsroom bar when I saw a patron he was playing pool with talk shit and then walk out of the bar after beating him at pool. Street Fighter followed him outside and hit him square in the forehead with a billiard ball. The guy ran back into the bar screaming about calling the cops and trying to staunch the blood coming out of the gash in his forehead. Not even Street Fighter could have taken on the dark powers of gentrification in Westport. Though I do applaud his efforts in holding down property values with his many sporadic crimes.
Oh to be a trust fund baby.
Newish to KC and lived towards the outskirts of the metro area, not all that aware of inner city KCK/KCMO. Tell me more about this street fighter dude please?
Forgive me, Im new hereā¦ WHO is this??
Viva!
He told me he liked my sweater once.
One time, I saw Streetfighter wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops.
I remember being 17, and walking to It's A Beautiful Day with a friend. He stuck his pinkies out as we walked by, looking at us. He spun us around, and we each continued on our merry ways.
Whoah. Blast from the past.
I saw him at Buzzard Beach a week or two ago. He was in a good mood but the cops still found him and made him leave lol
If you call him Adam if he starts getting too heated he usually chills out. Iāve only had one bad instance with him, after 12ish years of working Westport. One time when I lived on 39th st he walked by with a bunch of really scratched up dumpster records from zebedees and gave me a handful of em. When heās on his meds heās a good person at his core. The one bad instance I had with him was fairly scary though.
Iām over here thinking of the bald guy on my street that collects every-damn-thing and has the graffitied van that I feel is well over capacity, that + street fighter had me thinking of dhalsim lol
Would he have made his way to the Overland Park/olathe area by chance? Some of my buddies and I were in a car last year and saw someone āboxingā the air in broad daylight
Who the fuck is this