Police found the Albury man, 28, unconscious outside the Darrell Lea chocolate shop about 3.15am yesterday after 15 people became involved in the fracas on the corner of Dean and Olive Streets.

Insp Lynelle Rodwell, of Albury police, said the brawl happened after a crowd of people left a licensed Dean Street premises.

They walked across the road “bickering” and then some started fighting.

The injured man was taken to Albury hospital with head injuries and a cut lip before being transferred to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital where he was last night in a stable condition.

Two Albury men, aged 25 and 20, were both charged with offensive behaviour over the brawl.

The 25-year-old was also charged with resisting arrest and failing to obey police, while the 20-year-old was also charged with hindering police and breaching his bail conditions.

Mr Betteridge, who owns Sweethearts Pizza on Dean Street, said violence was an issue throughout the city, not just in the CBD, and the community needed to take a stand.

“Whether it’s street violence, binge drinking or illicit drugs, this is the war we are waging and we need to continue it and say we’re not happy,” he said.

“If we don’t talk about it (violence) and don’t take a stand, it’s almost endorsing the behaviour.”

Mr Betteridge said education was the key to changing people’s attitudes towards violence and state and federal government funding was needed to support initiatives for that learning.

“If you and I and our children and our parents say we are not happy, when there’s enough voices the government will finance that long-term education for change,” he said.

“The only way to do that is to say we’re not happy.”

Mr Betteridge said from his experience the amount of violence in the CBD had improved “dramatically” over the past four years.