A nasty fight brawl out in the baggage claim area of Terminal 3 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. What do these fighting ruffians, if anything, teach us about travel?
Chicago O’Hare Baggage Claim Brawl – Dozens Throw Punches
I’m not going to make any assumptions here, because we are only working off the video below. Was it a Spirit Airlines flight or an American Airlines flight? What caused this fight? Was it a continuation of a fight onboard, which has been the case with similar baggage claim brawls in the past, or perhaps people standing in front of a carousel and blocking others from getting their bag?
Here we see men and women, black, brown, and white fighting, so it isn’t clear this is a racial issue. But this is really one of the nastiest fights I have ever seen at an airport…and so many people. Have people lost all common sense and decency? Let’s not reduce this to “Oh Chicago” as if these sorts of things only happen across the fruited plain.
Sent in video of a brawl this morning at O’Hare International Airport.#Chicago pic.twitter.com/AiiLrobUk8
— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) May 23, 2023
View From The Wing, who first shared this story, is amazed “that at a major international airport there are numerous law enforcement agencies of all kinds on premises, and cameras literally everywhere, yet no one seems to intervene.”
It’s a fair point, but I also think it’s rather clear why no one is breaking it up: who wants to get in the middle of that? There were no children being harmed. There were no elderly being harmed. Indeed, there do not even appear to be victims, just ruffians fighting who could have walked away. Who would reasonably throw themselves into the center of that fight?
As for what this teaches us about travel, I think we must be ever-vigilant that tempers are frayed, people are on-edge, and therefore we must act nimbly when traveling. Tomorrow, I’ll share about an incident that occurred on my United flight to Denver yesterday–It wasn’t pretty. It takes two to tango. Even when our “pride” may be at stake, it is (almost) always wise to walk away.
CONCLUSION
A nasty brawl amongst over a dozen folks broke out at Chicago O’Hare. Whatever the root cause of the fight, these sorts of things can happen at a moment’s notice and it is incumbent upon us, the rational traveler, to de-escalate rather than escalate situations…but also to stand clear when the…well, you know…hits the fan.
images: @CPD1617Scanner / Twitter
I’m waiting for the story on how the NAACP warning about travel to Florida is going to affect Spirit financially?
Black crime matters
Oh my God! You’re so clever! Let me grab a pen and write that one down. There really is nothing like sharing stale racist tropes with a bunch of strangers online, is there?!
Truth hurts
The video lasts almost a minute. Where were either security or the police?
Yeah, two people got arrested.
Defunded
Aren’t there typically bags at Baggage Claim?
I see several sh1tbags…
“ Have people lost all common sense and decency?” Absolutely yes. That’s unfortunate but a recurring thing in America. Respect is no longer a word in the dictionary.
it doesn’t teach us anything about travel per se…but it does teach us for the umpteenth time…this is what happens when you are DIGITALLY sick….DIGITAL WI-FI, BLUETOOTH, CELLULAR radiation…..compare DIGITAL waveforms to ANALOG brainwaves – alpha, beta, gamma, etc…. Energy…we absorb it. There are consequences.
someday we’ll learn…after we’re humbled….by big war. billions to die. end times — happening now. coming soon to a real life human theater near you..
duckduckgo – type MASS ANIMAL DEATHS….1st link. ignore the religious angle, it’s wrong…..but if animals are dying all over the world…guess who’s next? most folks don’t know, don’t care.
Whoa now Matthew. That word “ruffians” sounds like dog whistle racism to me. You should know that african americans have a rich cultural heritage of brawling to settle disputes and, as a white colonialist oppressor, you should respect their cultural heritage. Those white colonizers however should be arrested and thrown in jail for cultural appropriation and be re-educated to better understand their privilege and the struggle of POCs in this oppressive, racist, transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic, hydrophobic, electrostatic, hemophilic, cisalpine heteronormative society.
Ha! You forgot supercalafragalisticexpialidocious
Maybe they just thought they were at the US capital and wanted to overthrow the government like real patriots
Please impostor, you know that only white redneck homophobes were involved in the terrorist plot to overthrow the government with selfie sticks and Amerikkkan flags. Only uncle tom race traitors would join those MAGA terrorists. These oppressed african americans were just rebelling against the white capitalist heteronormative baggage claim area. Check your whiteness privilege dude.
Oh those terrorists, they broke 2 windows and wandered around a building. Oh the humanity.
If only they had peacefully looted and burned down entire city blocks like the summer of love in 2020.
They should have all ended up like Ashley babbit. Maybe next time you terrorists try it that will happen
vietri really hates Black people…
60% of ped0s are part of the lgbt.
Hey terrorist, How many target employees did you threaten to kill this week?
How many children did you groom?
None, because that’s a republican myth. In fact those that shout the loudest are the most guilty….
A “myth” is anything that doesn’t enable the grievance politics of the left.
Not true at all. But 100% of Koggerj’s are racist homophobic a-holes.
Also, how many aliases does vietri/Koggerj post under theses days?
According to the Dept of Education most child molestation happens in public schools. I hope youre not one of them.
Ruffians makes it sound like you’re from Victorian Los Angeles… Please post when the whippersnappers decide to take over the local Apple Store!
This kind of thing is tolerated in Chicago though, so I’m not surprised.
The timing of this incident seems to line up with the delayed arrival of the spirit flight from FLL monday night. This is probably related to the meth and bath salts in the water supply in florida
It isn’t, actually.
First down! I think maybe they were just playing a rough-n-tumble game of football, while waiting for their bags. Notice the little red football glide across the floor. Pass interference and it got a tad bit out of hand… just a tad bit
That’s an American sign up there, so it’s not Terminal 2, it’s Terminal 3. There are only civilized airlines in Terminal 2, namely UA and AC.
Isn’t UA Terminal 1?
UA does fly our Terminal 2 as well…you even reviewed their lounge there 😉
AA is pretty much T3 only.
“Let’s not reduce this to “Oh Chicago””
Too late.
UA does their regional flying out of Terminal 2, and AC has their two gates in Terminal 2. That’s also where Delta and others were located before they moved last year.
Gotta be Spirit. Most of them are black, and look at the type of dress. Plus, it’s Chicago, just sayin
Wait a second,I’m Chicago born and raised,passed through ORD countless times,one of my first jobs while attending circle campus was room clerk at the OHare Hilton….never have I seen any brawl at ORD.Nor in any airport,on any flight.But after so many related articles,just once I’d like to see a good a** woopin’!LOL