They had walked into a completely disorganized street fight between the 
Coastal Republic forces and the Fists of Righteous Harmony, which was not made 
any clearer by the fact that many of the Coastals had defected by tying strips 
of red cloth round the arms of their uniforms, and that many of the Fists were 
not wearing any markings at all, and that many others who had no affiliation 
were taking advantage of the situation to loot stores and were being fought off 
by private guards; many of the looters were themselves being mugged by 
organized gangs.