Six months ago, world Muay Thai kick boxing champ Alex Gong, 32, was gunned down in a busy San Francisco street after chasing a driver who hit his parked vehicle and then sped off. Alex was working out in his gym when he witnessed the collision, and he ran after the culprit barefoot, wearing his boxing trunks and gloves. When he caught up with the suspect two-and-a-half blocks away, the driver drew a handgun and shot Alex at point-blank range. He died almost instantly.
Although I never met Alex Gong or the man who shot him, I have found myself in both of their shoes at different junctures of my life. Having been a practitioner of martial arts for many years and as someone who wouldn’t back down from a fight, I’ve confronted bullies with a vengeance, proudly applying my full-contact combat training in the streets. And for years, my involvement with violent street gangs entailed carrying concealed, loaded firearms as a means of survival and as tools of my trade. Somewhere along the way, I had turned into a bully.
Gong is being remembered as a mentor, businessman, loving surrogate father, champion martial artist and protector of the underdog. Since his death, the public has learned that Gong was abandoned as a young boy in a foreign country and that he had to fight to defend himself. When one has to survive on the streets, backing down is a sign of weakness with serious ramifications. It’s almost impossible to sustain any livelihood when called a patsy or a sissy. Back down just once, and you risk having to fight even more aggressors to protect the little that you have and the space that you occupy. Hardcore criminals do not fight fair or stop when you give up. Worst of all, these experiences scar and can leave an accomplished, passionate man fighting demons every day of his life.
Reading about Gong’s pursuit of the driver who damaged his parked vehicle, I envisioned running alongside the boxer, determined not to let the bully get away. Hit-and-run accidents are more injurious than the property damage and insurance claims they cause. The offenders violate everyday principles of respect and justice, which leave the victim, well, victimized. At the thought of Gong’s fatal chase, images of my past flashed before my eyes, including the faces of childhood bullies.
Unfortunately, in this day of easy access to guns and total disregard for human life, it’s not easy to be a hero or proactive citizen no matter how skilled and experienced a fighter may be. Criminals play the odds, and a loaded gun lets them terrorize victims, including martial arts champions.
Martial arts isn’t about never backing down from a fight or relentlessly giving chase to street criminals. In my heart, I believe Gong would not want his students and fans to emulate his actions on the afternoon of Aug. 1, 2003. The pursuit was not worth the cost of his life, especially when it appears to have occurred behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle by an ex-convict who simply couldn’t face the prospect of returning to prison. I can identify with his impulse to act, but hope Gong’s death will not be in vain.
Bill Lee is the author of Chinese Playground.