Here’s What We Know—And Don’t Know

Topline

A brawl at a boat dock in Montgomery, Alabama, left three people in custody and more than a dozen questioned by authorities, after an argument turned into a physical altercation among a Black co-captain of a local riverboat and white private boaters blocking the way of the riverboat as it attempted to dock.

Key Facts

News Peg

Video of the brawl that began going viral over the weekend showed a small private pontoon boat blocking the Harriott II riverboat from reaching a disembarkment ramp to allow people to exit the Harriott II. An employee of the Harriott II who was on the dock — later confirmed to be co-captain Damien Pickett — untied the small boat that was blocking the Harriott II. The videos show the private boat owners returning to their boat and then physically attacking Pickett on the dock, at which point other individuals arrived and became involved in the brawl. Several members of the Harriott II came to the rescue, attempting to help Pickett.

Key Background

In a series of interviews with local media, Harriott II captain Jim Kittrell said that when the pontoon boat was blocking the Harriott II from docking, Kittrell got on the PA system to ask the owners to move their boat up a few feet so he could move the riverboat to the dock, he told WACV in Montgomery. Kittrell said despite asking more than five times for the group of men to move their boat nothing happened. He then threatened to call police and the group responded by “shooting birds at us,” Kittrell told the radio station. That’s when Kittrell called law enforcement. He then said the group of men left the area. While they were gone, Pickett went and untied their boat —a practice Kittrell noted in the radio interview is common in the boating community. After Pickett moved the boat, the group of white men returned to their boat, Kittrell said.

Surprising Fact

Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said Tuesday that before Pickett made his way to the dock to untie the small boat there were a lot of obscene comments and innuendos made toward the Harriott II at a distance. Those remarks continued once Pickett reached the dock. Thirteen people were initially detained and interviewed by authorities but subsequently released following the altercation, Albert said during a press conference Tuesday.

Tangent

The fact the brawl began along racial lines in a city with a history of racism, civil rights clashes, and slavery — and a city with a majority Black population — has added extra significance to the viral video. Kittrell told media outlets the attack lodged against his co-captain, Pickett, was “racially motivated.” On Tuesday, Kittrell, who is white, told the Daily Beast, the only thing Pickett did was move the smaller pontoon 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.” Once other members of the crew became involved, however, Kittrell noted that the rest of the fight “was not Black and white.” After consulting with the local office of the FBI, the Alabama Law enforcement Agency and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Albert said authorities determined they would not be able to charge the white men with a hate crime and or with inciting a riot.

Crucial Quote

“We’ve had trouble with them in the past, but just like jokey things,” Kittrell said of the group of white boaters. The three white men were part of a group from Selma who Kittrell said he’s had issues with in the past. Kittrell noted an example from a few years ago when a golf cart from one of the riverboats went missing. The co-captain claimed the group took it and left it in the lobby of a local Hampton Inn, Kittrell said during the radio interview.

Big Number

227. That’s how many people were aboard the Harriott II when the incident began on Saturday, Albert said during the press conference.The Harriott II takes passengers on two hour tours multiple times a day and offers customers dinner, dancing and live entertainment as it sails up and down the Alabama River.

What We Don’t Know

During Tuesday’s press conference, police noted they wanted to speak with Reggie Gray, a 42-year-old Black man, who can be seen in social media videos “wielding” a folding chair and hitting a woman over the head with that chair, Albert said Tuesday. As of Wednesday, Gray has yet to meet with police, according to AL.com.

What To Watch For

Albert said more charges are likely to be announced in the future.

Further Reading

Three Men Face Charges After Alabama Riverboat Brawl (Forbes)