Like so many, the black guy gets somewhat stupid when he drinks, Tom is crazy all the time. I thought that it was a decent gesture on the black guy's part to admit fault and to apologize. Tom gets credit no matter what he says or does, I really don't understand it. There are some incredibly racist comments all over the internet calling the black guy a thug, monkey, Coolio, etc. Tom clearly asked that guy how much he'd charge him to shine his shoes, an insult to be sure. The black guy over reacted certainly but what would you expect? Do you think that it's prudent to ask random black people to shine your shoes? Of course not.
Heck, I just like that my "fairytale" story turned out to be somewhat true! AFAIK the black guy has no criminal record, was minding his own business, has no gang affiliations, didn't use a weapon, didn't steal the white guy's stuff, did throw the first blow, isn't a drug addict, was drunk and a bit stupid. Oh and apparently can articulate himself reasonable well when not drunk with a swollen face.
