After word spread earlier this week about an assault on Keytar Bear, Boston’s beloved furry musical street-performing mascot, more than $4,000 was raised through an Indiegogo campaign, nearly 500 folks RSVP’d to a benefit next week at Workbar, and local TV news ran segments about the incident.
It was only a mater of time before video would surface of the alleged assault, and now we have it.
A crude, out-of-focused eight-second clip from what appears to be a camera phone was posted to YouTube a few minutes ago, from otherwise bare account kaitkylejohn. It shows Keytar Bear with an unidentified male who looks to be taking a selfie with the musician. The person then strikes Keytar Bear suddenly just as the video stops, presumably because the person recording it also started to run. So this attack was not only premeditated, but caught on film by a partner of the assailant.
Here’s some more word from Boston Magazine:
Some people were skeptical after reports surfaced this week that Boston’s musical mascot, Keytar Bear, was assaulted while playing his instrument at Faneuil Hall. But an anonymous source reached out to Boston Thursday and sent over footage of the alleged attack to quell the naysayers.
In an undated video, you can see a person standing by Keytar Bear, in the middle of the busy Faneuil Hall marketplace, as he plays music for fans. At the very end of the eight-second clip, that same person, who appears to be wearing an oversized-shirt, pulls their arm back before punching the performer square in the face. The clip also includes a brief second of laughter before it cuts off.
If anyone can ID the man in the video they are urged to contact the police.
“I know how much Keytar Bear means to the city of Boston,” says Abigail Taylor, who organized next week’s fund raiser at Workbar. “I see tweets of him playing all over the city with videos of people laughing and dancing. I’m not surprised that the people of Boston have banded together to support a local guy who needs our help. It might take a bit to get into the hearts of Bostonians, but once you are in there, you’re there for life. We’re fiercely loyal to those we care about. Boston cares about Keytar Bear.”