Montgomery
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Time stops for no one, and it’s already been a year since the infamous Montgomery Riverfront Brawl that featured out of pocket white people getting their proper comeuppance. What would be Black Twitter, before Phony Stark ruined it, is celebrating the day by reminiscing on the hilarious memes the incident spawned.
In case you need a quick history lesson, on August 5, 2023, a group of white boaters put hands on a Black riverboat co-captain on the Montgomery riverfront after inquiring why they weren’t moving when his boat was scheduled to dock. What ensued was retaliation that included a co-worker swimming to help (he was dubbed “Black Aquaman”), numerous work peers and civilians uniting like The Avengers to have his back and various people who overall needed to mind their business catching fades.
Also in the mix was a hat being tossed to the heavens as a signal that the time for discuss was over and folding chairs being weaponized. The resulting memes and play by play had social media in a chokehold for days after. It was a cultural flashpoint—the theme of race relations weaved throughout thanks to this nation’s history of people of color having to grin and bear disrespect and white privilege, but not on THAT day. Even Rupert Murdoch’s own The Washington Post has recently noted that the day has become an unofficial holiday.
Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. Although, the woman who got cracked by a folding chair may disagree. But, she reportedly refused to press charges. Respect.
And as far as the legal ramifications, while various people in the boat that initiated the ruckus pleaded guilty and paid out various fines, Dameion Pickett, the co-captain of the Harriott II, who was assaulted, had the charges against him dropped.
So on the anniversary of the glorious day, let us reminisce with current and past reactions in the gallery.
1. Take heed.
2. Perfect.
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The Riverfront Brawl in Montgomery, Ala. was one of the most explosive moments to unfold this year, spawning several memes as the news of the so-called “Fade In The Water” event rippled through social media. Two men involved in the Riverfront Brawl were recently sentenced and one man saw his charges dismissed as another individual will appear in court on Monday (December 11).
Local outlet WSFA reports that Zachary Shipman and Alan Todd appeared in Montgomery Municipal Court last Friday (December 8) and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of harassment after initially being charged with third-degree assault. Shipman and Todd were given suspended sentences of 60 days and 12 months of probation. Shipmen will serve out his sentence in Dallas County while Todd will do so in Baldwin County according to WSFA’s reporting.
Dameion Pickett, a co-captain of the Riverboat, also appeared in court but his third-degree assault charge was dismissed and he supported the plea agreements made by Shipman and Todd. One other suspect, Reggie Ray, will appear in court Monday to learn what his sentence will be.
The Riverfront Brawl was sparked after the Riverboat was attempting to dock in its usual spot this past August when a private boat was in the way. A dock worker removed a rope that kept the private boat stationary, sparking its passengers to assault the dock worker. An employee of the Riverboat hopped into the water, swam over, and helped to defend the worker along with other observers.
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Photo: Ray Tan / Getty
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Law enforcement officials in Montgomery, Alabama revealed they contacted the FBI about hate charges related to the Riverfront Park brawl last weekend.
On Tuesday (Aug. 8), Montgomery Police Department Chief Darryl J. Albert held a press conference to announce that there were criminal charges being brought in the infamous brawl that took place at Riverfront Park on Saturday (Aug. 5), captured on video. Given that the fight broke out along racial lines, Chief Albert stated that they did contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether to file hate crime charges over the incident. “We were unable to present any inciting a riot or racially biased charges at this time,” he said.
The victims in the assault at the dock were Damien Pickett, the Black co-captain of the riverboat, and an unnamed white 16-year-old who transported Pickett to the dock at the outset of what led to the brawl. Chief Albert explained that the incident didn’t meet the criteria, but that they were still investigating. “I don’t think we’re near finished,” the chief said in an interview with reporter Sara Sidner of CNN. “As new developments come forward, we will amend charges as necessary … If it rises to the level of hate crimes, if it rises to the level of inciting a riot, or whatever that looks like … we will do just that,” he continued.
Currently, three white males – Richard Roberts (who has two warrants for third-degree assault), Allen Todd and Zachary Shipman – are charged in the case. Roberts is currently in custody. The three men and others involved are reported to have ties to the Vassar’s Mini Mart in Selma, but the Facebook page for the business has been taken down, according to reports. Chief Albert did add that they were looking for an unidentified Black man who used a chair in the melee for questioning.
The brawl began as the Harriott II riverboat arrived at the dock and found a private watercraft in its usual parking space. After 45 minutes of trying to get the boat to move, Pickett was ferried to the dock to get the boat’s owners to move but was confronted in a “very hostile manner,” leading to Pickett tossing his hat in the air before being attacked by the group of white men. Other Black bystanders came to Pickett’s aid, escalating the confrontation, which would become viral on social media.
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The Montgomery Riverfront dustup continues to shake up social media and the headlines, and new developments have emerged. According to reports, arrests have been made by the Montgomery Police Department, with three men facing charges thus far.
Local outlet WVTM reports that three men, Richard Roberts, 48; Zachery Shipman, 25; and Allen Todd, 23, were sought by Montgomery police after warrants for their arrests were issued. The three men turned themselves, this after police took 13 people in total into custody.
As previously reported, last weekend, the Harriott 2 double-decker riverboat was attempting to dock on the riverfront when a pontoon boat carrying a number of guests docked out of turn. A Black dock worker removed the boat’s rope so that the Harriott 2 could dock, prompting the group of white boaters to confront the worker.
In a report from TMZ, the dock worker claims that one of the men used a racist slur ahead of their group attack before being met with another group of Black bystanders and one of the crew members of the riverboat. Since then, the incident has sparked a number of memes and reactions across social media and has become its own entity of sorts.
Police say they are also looking for Reggie Gray, 42, who was seen throwing around a chair against the boaters.
Among the arrested, Roberts is charged with two counts of third-degree assault. Shipman and Todd both face one count of third-degree assault.
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Photo: Ray Tan / Getty
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Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama, is known for its place in the fight for civil rights along with a number of notable establishments treasured by the culture. Now, “The Gump” is also known as the site of a brawl that had Black folks forming like Voltron to protect a security guard against a crowd of angry white boaters.
By now, much of the details of the Montgomery Riverfront brawl are out there but we’ll share a brief recap as seen in NPR and across social media.
This past Saturday (August 5), a scene unfolded on the Riverfront during the afternoon after a pontoon boat full of revelers decided to ignore the orders of a Black dock worker and angrily beat the man. However, the fight turned fair rather quickly as others rushed to aid the dock worker with very explosive results that we’ll share below.
Josh Moon, who works for the Alabama Political Reporter, posted a video of the brawl on X (formerly known as Twitter). From what details we have available, the pontoon boat tried to dock in the space of the Harriott II double-decker riverboat. The Black dock worker, doing his job, undocked the pontoon boat, sparking some of the guests to approach him. The mob of angry boaters began beating the man but one young man stood out above all.
Dubbed “AquaMane, ‘Ja’Michael Phelps,” and other choice nicknames, the teen crew worker only known by his first name, Aaren, swam from another boat to aid the dock worker and despite having swam a great length, still had time to dole out body slams and fades in defense of the worker.
Reports say that Montgomery police had arrest warrants out for some of the boaters who started the brawl. We’ll add details as they came on on that front.
In the spirit of old Black Twitter, X has done an excellent job of recapping, sharing jokes, memes, and everything else you can imagine regarding the Montgomery Riverfront showdown.
Without wasting any more time, check out our favorite reactions and videos below.
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Photo: Ray Tan / Getty
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