By: Sandy Wang

Last Friday, a man turned himself into the police after attacking other people in a brawl using a chair in Riverfront Park, which is in Montgomery, Alabama. He became the fifth person to be charged in the fight that was mostly based on racial overtones.

The fight began when a pontoon boat docked in the space reserved for the Harriott II, a cruise boat returning from the Alabama River. The captain of Harriott II spent 45 minutes trying to command the pontoon boat to move out of the way using the public announcement system, with no success.

So instead, Dameion Pickett, a Black co-captain of the Harriott, tried to talk with the pontoon owners after riding a small boat to the dock. However, the owners of the pontoon lunged at him when he tried to move it.

Soon, a fight broke out, and videos of the brawl received a huge response in social media, especially a moment that involved the man, Reggie Ray, who is Black.

In the videos, Mr. Ray is seen hitting a white man and white woman with a folding chair.

The videos also showed the white boaters jumping on and beating Mr. Pickett, with one of them even punching him. Another of the boaters was appearing to be placing Mr. Pickett in a headlock.

A few days before Mr. Ray was arrested, four other people were also charged for contributing to the brawl. These four people were Allen Todd, 23; Zachery Shipman, 25; Richard Roberts, 48; and Mary Todd, 21.

Mayor Steven L. Reed, Montgomery’s newly elected first Black mayor, said on Facebook: “In Montgomery, not only will we protect our team members, but we will protect our citizens. If you violate the sanctity of our community and the safety of our citizens, then you will be brought to justice.”

Link to Article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/12/us/montgomery-riverfront-brawl-charges.html