By: Richard Zhao
On August 5th, a racially charged fight broke out between five people along the riverfront in Montgomery, Alabama.
The fight took place at Riverfront Park after a group of boaters on a pontoon took the docking space of the cruise ship Harriott II. The captain, who is black, attempted to communicate with the pontoon via the announcement system, but the white boaters on the pontoon responded with rude gestures, expletives, and taunts.
According to the police, Dameion Pickett, co-captain of the Harriott, went to the dock to talk with the pontoon owners. When Pickett attempted to move the pontoon, the owners of the boat attacked him, which prompted bystanders and the Harriott’s crew to defend him.
A video of the ensuing brawl went viral on the internet, particularly because Mr. Pickett was black and the pontoon owners were white. Additionally, the location of the fight and the dock’s history has disturbing overtones; the dock where the fight took place is the same dock where enslaved Africans were once shipped to be sold in town. Despite the fight appearing to be racially motivated, police said that they would not pursue hate crime charges.
Videos of the fight are currently being used as part of the police investigation, said Chief Darryl J. Albert of the Montgomery Police In the video of the fight, Ray, a black man, was seen hitting two people with a folding chair, while Mr. Pickett was punched and beaten by multiple white boaters. During the fight, multiple bystanders joined in the fight, eventually causing the brawl to escalate into a melee between the white and black participants.
Four people have turned themselves in so far: Allen Todd, 23; Zachery Shipman, 25; Richard Roberts, 48; and Mary Todd, 21. Mr. Todd, Ms. Todd, and Mr. Shipman were each charged with one count of third-degree assault, while Mr. Roberts was charged with two counts of third-degree assault. “It’s important for us to address this as an isolated incident, one that was avoidable and one that was brought on by individuals who chose the wrong path of action,” Mayor Steven L. Reed said at a news conference. Still, the fight could be indicative of racial tensions and racism prevalent in the community.