The captain of the Harriott II riverboat that docks at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama, aka the scene of the viral “Montgomery Brawl,” is convinced that racism was the root of the incident.
As Blavity previously reported, footage of multiple fights that erupted over the weekend at a dock in defense of Damien Pickett, a Black dock worker (Pickett was originally said to be a security guard) who was attacked by a group of white men for doing his job: telling them to move their boat so the riverboat could dock. After witnessing the unjust attack, fellow Black bystanders and the victim’s co-worker came to his aide, which transpired into an outbreak of physical altercations. The viral videos that onlookers captured received mostly positive feedback from the public who was proud to see the Black community unite to combat a violent ambush.
These white people jumped this black security guard at the Riverfront. The staff got off the boat and it turned into WWE Smackdown. I’m so proud of Montgomery 😭😂 pic.twitter.com/4DG5bShXfz
— Housatlantavegas (@_dreadadon) August 6, 2023
On Tuesday, Captain Jim Kittrell, a white man, told The Daily Beast that the alleged men who jumped his deckhand were allegedly under the influence and weren’t complying with the rules. He noted that he familiar with the group of white boaters as they are regulars who ride their boats from Selma to Montgomery annually.
“This whole thing is just because these guys were being assholes,” he said in the interview. “I was nice as a peach when I was talking to them at first: ‘Please, help me out here, fellas. Move the boat up a little bit.'”
Although this wasn’t the assaulters first time causing some swirl, they had never started drama of that magnitude according to the captain.
“This particular set, conversely, has previously caused trouble,” he added, blaming them for once having stolen a golf cart the Harriott II used to transport disabled passengers between the ferry and the parking lot.
The altercation began because the suspects docked their boat in a prohibited area reserved for the sightseeing boat to load and drop off passengers.
“The white guys that attacked my deckhand—and he was a senior deckhand first mate—I can’t think of any other reason they attacked him other than it being racially motivated,” Kittrell said. “All he did was move their boat up three feet. It makes no sense to have six people try to beat the snot out of you just because you moved their boat up a few feet. In my opinion, the attack on Damien was racially motivated.”
Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said three of the white men, Richard Roberts, 48, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, have been charged for third-degree assault. The investigation is still underway.
