Happy Montgomery Chairteenth!

Reggie Ray made American history on this day.

We celebrate a moment in Black history. 

Today is the Montgomery Chairteenth. The big brawl that sparked the "quit fucking with us" movement. Dalton Levi Eatherly didn't get the message. He certainly got it when he got arrested in May.

A group of white boaters attacked a Black sail operator sparking a massive brawl which resulted in a Black man planting a chair on the head of a white aggressor.

The 2023 Montgomery Riverfront brawl was a large-scale altercation that occurred on August 5, 2023, in downtown Montgomery, Alabama when bystanders intervened in a physical assault by a group of recreational boaters on the dock on Damien Pickett, co-captain of the Harriott II, the City of Montgomery-owned riverboat, and prime attraction at Riverfront Park, located on the Alabama River.

Upon its return from a dinner cruise, the Harriott II was unable to dock due to a privately owned pontoon boat that had blocked its assigned docking space. The ship's crew notified the pontoon's occupants through the ship's loudspeakers, but the pontoon was not moved. After waiting close to 45 minutes, Captain Pickett and a deckhand boarded a smaller boat and sailed to the dock. After moving the pontoon to allow for adequate space to dock, the boaters argued and then attacked Pickett. Observers including riverboat's crew as well as bystanders came to Pickett's aid and defense.

The ensuing brawl was filmed by several witnesses with their phones and gained significant media attention due to its violent nature, the racial undertones, and Montgomery's racially charged history. 

Five participants identified as Richard Roberts, Mary Todd, Zachery Shipman, Allen Todd and Reggie Ray, all pled guilty to various charges that ranged from misdemeanor assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct.

Montgomery Alabama.

After the incident, the city of Montgomery partnered with local businesses and increased its surveillance systems to add additional security in the area.

13 individuals involved in the brawl—including the co-captain who was hit by a police taser—were detained, questioned, and subsequently released. Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert confirmed arrest warrants for three men involved in the incident.

Arrest warrants were then expanded to another woman and a man hitting people with a chair. All five surrendered at the police station the following week.

The investigation was intensified due to the racial implications surrounding the fight. While the altercation mainly occurred along racial lines, preliminary investigations did not find sufficient evidence for hate crime charges. However, the incident has revived discussions around Montgomery's history, especially given the city's pivotal role in the slave trade in the United States and the Montgomery bus boycott during the civil rights movement.