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Disturbing video of kids fighting on MySpace

 Sara Dorsey     3 years ago
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Update: St. Petersburg police are now looking into the video, trying to determine who posted it and where it was shot. The investigation will try and determine if there was a crime committed. Police say they will have to try and get a subpoena for the IP address and the account provider to turn over necessary identifying information.

St. Petersburg, Florida - The video is hard to watch and it's littered with profanity and racial slurs.

For nearly two minutes, adults, possibly even parents, cheer on two young boys to duke it out.

It was posted on the popular website, MySpace.com by a teen claiming to be from St. Petersburg.

Trenia Byrd Cox, President of the St. Petersburg chapter of the NAACP calls the clip shocking and disturbing. Titled "Jr. Ghetto Street Fights," the clip has gotten more than 8,000 hits. It's listed as a comedy, but Cox sees it as anything but laughable.

Trenia Byrd Cox, St. Petersburg NAACP President:
“I'm almost speechless, I'm almost speechless. That is bizarre. You should not be encouraging children to fight, that's not how you resolve conflict and that's certainly not entertainment.”

Psychologist Dr Sidney Merin took a look as well, and says these adults, while seemingly having fun, could be causing irreversible damage.

Dr. Sidney Merin, Psychologist

To change that, it takes a long, long time. By the time they're 17 or 18 years old it may take years in treatment to modify that behavior.

So what can be done? That remains to be seen. St. Petersburg authorities and Florida Department of Children and Families have been notified. Byrd Cox is asking someone to step up.

Trenia Byrd Cox, St. Petersburg NAACP President:
“That's a case that needs to go directly to the abuse registry. I hope they do a serious investigation, maybe to track this down, because this is the kind of behavior, this is the kind of behavior that, later on, if you don't address it, a constant exposure to violence, and that kind of violent behavior, just leads to more violent behavior.”

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***Warning*** Clicking on link under the picture leads to disturbing video of the fight. It is full of violence, profanity and racial slurs. If you are sensitve to this, DO NOT click on the above video.

Sara Dorsey, Tampa Bay's 10 News
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