Residents in Birmingham, Michigan, call for change after video of brawl goes viral

Safety concerns continue in the city of Birmingham, Michigan, but this time they center on a big fight on the downtown street.

The violent altercation that was broken up by police on Bates Street has been circulating online; now, residents and some city leaders are calling for change. Several people can be seen throwing punches right in the middle of the road.

"No one is going to believe this, let me pull my camera out," said Garcia Bragg, who shot video of the altercation.

It's not the typical behavior you would see in this shopping and food district, which is why Bragg says he pulled out his phone to capture the chaotic scene.

"A guy was getting slapped, and then he was thrown over that wall that was the first thing, and I was just in such shock and thinking what's going on," said Bragg.

"I find it very disturbing," said Birmingham City Commissioner Brad Host.

The melee was a hot topic at Monday night's city council meeting. Host says he doesn't want to see this kind of violence in his city.

In response, he encouraged other city leaders to take what he calls a field trip downtown late at night to see what city traffic looks like at that time of day.

"And then we should see if there is measures we can do to make it safer for the people that visit our city," said Host.

And some residents who spoke during the meeting say they want a heavier police presence.

"It's like a scarecrow put a police car with lights on it in the street. I notice, I go by the police station, and you got police cars sitting in the lot," said a resident.

However, Bragg's videos showed authorities showing up within seconds of him hitting record.

"I believe the police reaction time was really good, it seemed like they were there within minutes and some change," said Bragg.

CBS News Detroit reached out to the Birmingham Police Department, and we have not heard back.