Montgomery dock brawl: Racial issue? Maybe. Lack of humanity? Definitely

The following column is an analysis by reporter Shannon Heupel, who led the Montgomery Advertiser's coverage of the Aug. 5 riverfront brawl and its aftermath.

Like many, I’ve seen the multitude of “Montgomery Riverfront Brawl” videos shot by onlookers this past weekend.

You’ve probably watched them, too. Millions are looking on as a group of pontoon boaters turned violent and beat riverboat co-captain Damieon Pickett, all over being told to move their boat from the dock at Riverfront Park. The craft blocked the Harriott II Riverboat from docking in its official, but admittedly without signage, spot to release 227 passengers.

At a Tuesday news conference with Mayor Steven Reed and Police Chief Darryl Albert, it was revealed that the Harriott II had been trying to dock for about 45 minutes while trying to contact the pontoon boaters through its PA system. Albert said the only responses from people on the pontoon boat were "obscene gestures, curse words and taunting."

A smaller boat brought Pickett to the dock to try to talk to the pontoon boaters and get the craft moved. Originally, Pickett was reported to be a dock worker or dock security.

"The co-captain was doing his job," Albert said. "He was simply trying to move the boat, just enough to where the cruise ship could park safely."

Looking at this sickening display, there are a few undeniable facts:

• The pontoon boat users are white.

• Pickett is Black.

• Many of those who rushed to Pickett’s defense, including a 16-year-old named Aaren, are Black. In fact, Aaren’s been dubbed “Black Aquaman” and other names on social media since he dove off the riverboat, swam to the dock, and climbed up to join the rescue.

I just happened to be in the Advertiser’s weekend reporter seat when the brawl went down, and I wrote a couple of our stories on it. In the days that followed, more than a few readers have written to me to ask, in one form or another: Was this a racial issue?

According to the city, after working with the FBI, the evidence they found was apparently not enough to prove that. For now, Albert said there weren't hate-related charges or riot charges expected.

But you’ve got to admit that the optics of this happening in Montgomery, Alabama, aren’t great, no matter what year it is.

Which pontoon boaters were charged?

Now we know the names of at least three of the white male pontoon boaters: Richard Roberts, 48, Allen Todd, 23, and Zachery Shipman, 25. Warrants were issued for all three for assault in the third degree — two warrants for Roberts. None of the men are from Montgomery. Albert said they had multiple addresses in Selma and Orange Beach. At the time of the news conference Tuesday, Roberts had surrendered himself to Selma authorities, and the others turned themselves in Wednesday.

A fourth white pontoon boater, 21-year-old Mary Todd, turned herself in Thursday and was also charged with third-degree assault, police said.

"This investigation is ongoing, and more charges are likely," Albert said.

Along with Pickett, who was taken to a hospital, Albert said there was also a white 16-year-old victim of the brawl. The teen was struck by Roberts, according to MPD, and was from the small vessel that took Pickett to the dock.

Reed described the pontoon boaters as “reckless individuals who did not use good judgment and caused an event that certainly was avoidable.”

My takeaway is that the beating showed a complete lack of humanity. Pickett is just a guy with a job. Someone of any race, ethnicity or gender from the riverboat could have been there in his place. While someone else might not have had Pickett's much-viewed flair for throwing his hat, he or she would have told the pontoon boaters they had to move.

Would a beating still have followed?

When is a fight more than a fight?

“That ‘dock worker’ was not in a ‘fight’ as your image caption describes. He was beaten and pummeled by three men!” wrote Amy Jo Moffet.

Yes, when pontoon boaters attacked, it was a beating. However, once Pickett’s defenders came to his aid — several of whom are Harriott II crew — it turned into a battle that even stepped into pro-wrestling’s world when a metal folding chair was used.

Speaking of the folding chair, that was allegedly wielded by Reggie Ray, 42, a Black male. On Tuesday, Chief Albert asked that Ray turn himself in for questioning regarding that.

At the scene on Saturday, seven officers from MPD arrived and took 13 into custody for questioning. After several hours, all were released, Albert said.

Readers looking for traces of racial bias

“Stop being racist and capitalize White Americans!” wrote Nathan Pendleton.

When writing about volatile issues that potentially involve race, people notice things that they might otherwise ignore. This story brought that out with several readers.

“Couldn’t help but notice that you capitalized the ‘B’ in (B)lack man, but not the ‘W’ in white man,” wrote W.J. Long. “Was this a conscious act, or an unconscious mistake, or did you mean to infer something that went over my head?”

Here’s the thing. That is an official writing style adopted by the Montgomery Advertiser, our parent company of Gannett, and the Associated Press. Black — much like other racial identifiers including Latino, Native American, and Asian American — is capitalized when referring to a person’s race.

However, “white” is not, and there are reasons it isn't. According to the AP, white people:

• do not share the same history and culture;

• don't have a history of being discriminated against because of skin color;

• have "ambiguity and confusion" about who in the global sense would be included as white.

Black and white are written that way, or should be, in every single story we produce that requires them. This explanation clearly wasn’t enough for some.

“And that is a racist ‘writing style.’ Therefore, you are a racist. Congratulations!” replied James Harris.

How do we move forward?

Like many thousands of others, I’ve walked the dock at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park — mostly on my way to the Harriott II Riverboat. It’s a stroll that’s led to fun times, great music and a beautiful two-hour cruise on the Alabama River.

As Chief Albert said, there are currently no signs that say this dock area isn't available for public use. There used to be signs, but Albert said they've either been removed or blown away. He said the city is trying to find ways to permanently attach signs there. However, he said the dock is designed specifically for the riverboat, with large moorings made to tie off, and its gang plank area.

"The Harriott is parked there all the time," Albert said.

Riverfront Park also has a huge amphitheater and grassy area for concerts and other events. The day of the attack, Chief Albert pointed out that Montgomery Public Schools and automaker Hyundai were holding back to school events at the amphitheater and nearby Union Station Train Shed.

What will I see next time I visit the park? I don’t know.

What will other people see when they come back, especially the young children who were standing on shore watching as a warm summer's evening turned violent? Many of those children are Black. What they saw, firsthand, was someone who looked like them being horribly beaten by a bunch of white folks.

How do you convince them that this wasn’t racially motivated?

How will we show these innocents that all of humanity isn’t like that… or are we?

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Dameion Pickett, Reggie Ray and Zachery Shipman based on new information provided by the Montgomery Police Department.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel can be contacted at sheupel@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery dock brawl: Racial? Maybe. Lack of humanity? Definitely