Rufus Hannah
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Rufus Hannah (November 27, 1954 – October 4, 2017), also known as Roofus the Stunt Bum, was an American advocate for homeless rights who became known for his role in the early ''
Bumfights ''Bumfights'' is a video series produced by Indecline Films. The debut release titled ''Bumfights Vol. 1: A Cause for Concern'' features primarily high school fights caught on tape and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and Donnie Brennan) ...
'' videos: in 2000, while himself a homeless
alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
, he was paid $5 to be filmed running headfirst into an
intermodal container An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, is a large standardized shipping container, designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different modes of transport – from ship ...
.


Biography

Hannah was raised in
Swainsboro, Georgia Swainsboro is a city in Emanuel County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,425. The city is the county seat of Emanuel County. Geography Swainsboro is located near the center of Emanuel County at 32Â ...
. He started drinking at 14, despite having a "good family." He was a construction worker until the age of 27, when he joined the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
. He was soon discharged after injuring himself during basic training. After his injury, he started drinking heavily, leading to his homelessness and alcoholism. In the early 1990s, he moved to California, where he was approached by Ryan McPherson to produce ''
Bumfights ''Bumfights'' is a video series produced by Indecline Films. The debut release titled ''Bumfights Vol. 1: A Cause for Concern'' features primarily high school fights caught on tape and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and Donnie Brennan) ...
''.


''Bumfights''

He subsequently was filmed performing other "stunts" for the ''Bumfights'' videos, including riding a
shopping cart A shopping cart (American English), trolley (British English, Australian English), or buggy (Southern American English, Appalachian English), also known by a variety of other names, is a wheeled cart supplied by a shop or store, especi ...
down a flight of stairs, ramming his head into steel doors so hard that he had
seizures An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with l ...
, and beating up Donald "Donnie" Brennan, another homeless man, so badly that Brennan's leg was broken in two places and required surgical intervention. Brennan, an army
veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...
, and Hannah (who was injured in basic training), were paid an average of $10 per stunt. Both men were also paid to get ''Bumfights''
tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...
s: Hannah's tattoo was across his knuckles and Brennan's was on his forehead. In 2002, Hannah and Brennan testified in the criminal trials of the producers of ''Bumfights'' on several charges, including the soliciting of felonies; the defendants were acquitted on the majority of charges and sentenced to
community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...
for conspiring to stage an illegal fight (in 2005, they were sentenced to 6 months in prison for having failed to complete the community service). Hannah and Brennan also filed a civil suit against the producers; the producers agreed to pay an unspecified amount in damages, and to no longer use Hannah and Brennan's images for promotional purposes.


After ''Bumfights''

Hannah remained sober from 2003 until his death. He worked as a property manager, and spent 40 hours a week performing such duties as painting apartments and constructing fences. He married his wife in 2005 and together they had 4 children. He hoped to one day get the 'Bum Fights' tattoo removed from his knuckles. In 2010 he released a book co-written with Barry Soper entitled ''A Bum Deal: An Unlikely Journey from Hopeless to Humanitarian'' detailing his ordeal from becoming a homeless alcoholic, his time during the filming of ''Bumfights'', and his struggle to get sober. In addition, he worked with the National Coalition for the Homeless.


Death

On October 4, 2017, Hannah was killed in Swainsboro when the car he was riding in as a passenger was hit by a truck.Rufus Hannah, 63, Star of San Diego 'BumFights' Videos Dies in Georgia Car Crash
by Monica Garske, at
NBC San Diego KNSD (channel 39) is a television station in San Diego, San Diego, California, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations alongside ...
; published October 6, 2017; retrieved October 7, 2017


References


External links

* Synopsis of an episode of VH1 News Presents, focusing on ''Bumfights'', featuring Hannah and Brennan *
Former 'bum' beats the bottle
' by Michael Stetz of the '' San Diego Union-Tribune'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hannah, Rufus 1954 births 2017 deaths Road incident deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) Homelessness activists Homeless people People with epilepsy People from Swainsboro, Georgia Writers from Georgia (U.S. state)