Staff Writer
In recent entertainment news a big controversy has been the fight between singers Frank Ocean and Chris Brown outside the Westlake Recording Studio in Los Angeles on Jan. 27. What makes this fight particularly interesting is that it was over a parking spot. Two adults fighting over a parking spot is one of the most childish situations I have encountered.
There are many different stories on what happened the night of the altercation. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said, “The altercation led to Chris Brown punching the victim,” the victim later being identified as Ocean.
Acts of violence such as this have been a part of Brown’s history, one being the highly publicized act of domestic violence against singer Rihanna in 2009. Another incident involved him using a chair to smash a window at the Good Morning America studio in New York. Ocean later posted to his Twitter, “Got jumped by Chris and a couple of guys. lol,” and “Cut my hand now I can’t play at the grammys.”
From what we can tell Brown was nowhere near innocent in the matter. But, I personally feel that neither Brown nor Ocean was innocent. This fight could have been prevented if one of them simply walked away. A situation like this is one where all you can do is hope that both parties learn and grow. When in the spotlight like Ocean and Brown, your actions don’t just impact you. They bring negativity to other people that could be innocent bystanders. This issue arose when Brown fought the rapper Drake at W.I.P. nightclub and innocents were injured.
While the fight between Brown and Ocean was childish it opens up another topic, Brown needs serious help. No, I do not believe the parking spot fight was completely his fault. However, drama, anger and violence, seem to follow Brown wherever he goes. He could be the reason for this drama or it could be the company he keeps. But, there is an aspect of Brown’s life that is very toxic, and we are all watching as it slowly destroys him. A serious change is needed in his life and he is the only one that can make it. This could involve taking a break from music and discovering his identity, or it could be as simple as cutting some destructive people out his life. Until these changes are made I feel we will see a lot more drama from Brown.
It seems that the feud between Brown and Ocean is cooling down for now. Ocean released a statement on his Tumblr in all caps: “AS A CHILD I THOUGHT IF SOMEONE JUMPED ME IT WOULD RESULT IN ME MURDERING OR MUTILATING A MAN. BUT AS A MAN I AM NOT A KILLER. I’M AN ARTIST AND A MODERN PERSON. I’LL CHOOSE SANITY. NO CRIMINAL CHARGES. NO CIVIL LAWSUIT. FORGIVENESS, ALBEIT DIFFICULT, IS WISDOM. PEACE, ALBEIT TRITE, IS WHAT I WANT IN MY SHORT LIFE. PEACE.”
If only Ocean’s statement had been the mindset of the parties involved in the parking spot fight maybe this fight would have never happened.
