ABSTRACT
King Street, Melbourne, early 1990s. Chaos and aggression were the immediate impressions. Crowded, chaotic, congested, lots of intoxicated males, one man was violently kicked and bashed by three others while many people looked on. Private buses with approximately 30 males on each had arrived and parked on King Street. Being refused entrance into the nightclubs these men gathered on the streets, big hassles here. On four separate occasions, we were asked our purpose by groups of very drunk males. Having felt reasonably safe in most of the audited areas, this impression was drastically changed as the social impact started to take its toll. With the social conditions prevailing, it was very difficult to feel safe or that there would be anybody else concerned for the safety of SELF/others. The first thing we saw was the fight mentioned earlier. This sensitized us to the dangers of the combinations present. Hot dog stands, buskers, taxis waiting, queues … all congesting the traffic on the roads and footpaths, all increased our feeling of uneasiness. To survive, it was necessary to be able bodied, male and young.
