Videos Show Brawl At Montgomery’s Riverfront Park, And It Was A Glorious Day In Black History
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Montgomery, Alabama, is now the location of at least two iconic moments in Black history.
On March 25, 1965, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators on a nearly 60-mile march from Selma to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery. And on August 25, 2023, the spirit of MLK looked down over the city’s Riverfront Park and thought to himself: “You know, I largely stood for nonviolent resistance—but they shot me anyway, so I’m finna get my lick back!”
By now, most of y’all have seen the melee that occurred Saturday on the dock at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park. You’ve likely seen it from multiple angles, in fact. You’ve probably heard all of the commentaries. You’ve watched as Black Twitter rejoiced while the rest of Twitter erupted in various responses ranging from overall condemnation of violence to wondering why everyone keeps making everything about race.
I suggest paying attention to Black Twitter because that’s where the cultural context lies.
Let’s begin with how it all started.
According to witnesses, the brawl on the docks began when a riverboat arrived where a pontoon boat was blocking it from docking.
This video shows how the Montgomery dock brawl started. The security guard were telling them white mfs to move their boat so the ferry could dock. They didn’t want to and wanted to try and jump him insteadpic.twitter.com/lyJGP85BoL
— Thee ORIGINAL King Kusha (@AKASteffon) August 7, 2023
Witnesses said the Black dock worker who became a victim of violence brought on by the Caucasian occupants of the pontoon boat had simply informed the boat’s owners that they needed to move. Now, you may be shocked and dismayed to find out that, in Alabama, white people responded to a Black authority figure telling them where they didn’t need to be by trying lynch said Black man with fists instead of nooses—but Black folks weren’t surprised at that part. What happened next, however, was quite the delightful surprise.
Black people across social media appear to agree that the Black dock worker tossing his hat into the air was basically the negro spiritual version of the bat signal.
Bruh threw up the bat signal, and reinforcements came from land and sea. #MontgomeryRiverFront #montgomerybrawl #AlabamaBrawl #Alabama #BlackTwitter pic.twitter.com/2VDKXK4fNV
— RealOroroMunroe (@OroroReal) August 7, 2023
And his people did not (*in the voice of Lady Mormont from Game of Thrones*) refuse the call.
A Black man swam across the river to answer the call.
A brawl took place at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama.
Reportedly, a group of white men attacked a black dock worker after he asked them to move their boat. In response, a group of black men intervened to defend the worker.
Several were detained, and charges are pending. pic.twitter.com/4YhGGdB6IU
— BoreCure (@CureBore) August 6, 2023
Black men hopped off the boat to answer the call.
Here’s the second half of the Montgomery Riverboat Brawl video pic.twitter.com/rtSpwi1Dc4
— Who TF Is Keeping BurgerKing In Business (@bigkobe_24) August 7, 2023
Wach 7 minutes alabama boat fight video montgomery riverboat montgomery riverfront fights #riverboatbrawl montgomery boat brawl boatfight riverfront park alabama brawl video montgomery brawl riverfront chair video
All videos, https://t.co/7fBbCdaKEu
pic.twitter.com/7Dwo9w6kJS
— Renay Elkington (@ElkingtonR79841) August 7, 2023
An older Black man, who was clearly looking for a place to set down his folding chair only to find white people’s heads kept getting in the way, answered the call.
Montgomery Alabama Boat Walk Brawl + Sade “Cherish The Day” pic.twitter.com/Gwcg3v3Jen
— THEBBQ (@THEBBQOFFICIAL) August 7, 2023
Speaking of the man with the chair, there’s a lot of controversy, even among Black people, over whether or not he took things too far. After all, it’s difficult to decipher whether the woman he used as a WWE training dummy was part of the brawl, one of the people trying to break things up, or whether she was simply too slow to get the hell out of the warzone.
Aside from the fact that the yt ppl got arrested eventually as well…yall know he was wilding with the chair the police was doing de-escalation until he hit the lady with the chair
— the-visuals (@big_virgo911) August 7, 2023
But I think we can all agree that, at this point, when white people wear red they just look like they’re in full MAGA regalia, which would make them an existential threat to Black people anyway, especially around a scene where white violence had erupted. Either way, the wise words Slim Charles told Avon of House Barksdale come to mind:
I just like to imagine that the Black man, who we saw handcuffed at the scene, is currently sitting in jail enjoying the extra jello cups his fellow Black inmates left by his lunch tray to pay tribute.
Also, fear not, Black people. The white folks who started the fight got arrested too after Black bystanders pointed them out because the “no snitch” policy simply does not extend to white thugs hopped up on Jason Aldean energy drinks who felt entitled to attack a Black man for doing his job because they didn’t like being told to move by someone their ancestors would have enforced “whites only” laws against.
Can’t stop thinking about how the Montgomery Boat Brawl was so cathartic to watch mostly because it didn’t end with any of us killed or seriously hurt by all those cops but instead with Black bystanders pointing out & watching the white aggressors get arrested pic.twitter.com/xnap8AVr77
— brejanee. (@ChelseyBrejanee) August 7, 2023
“Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job,” Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed said in a statement Sunday, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. “Warrants have been signed and justice will be served.”
“This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred,” Reed said. “As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violence will be held accountable by our criminal justice system.”
But, again, while Reed and others view this moment in contemporary Black history as an “unfortunate incident,” Black folks view it as a time to celebrate Black unity.
Plies wanna go to Montgomery, Alabama, after seeing the video about the brawl pic.twitter.com/X6rFl3y3kC
— La’Janeé | Investigative Reporter (@_LaJanee_) August 7, 2023
Me watching the Montgomery brawl for the one millionth time. pic.twitter.com/zSsC4oSlnP
— Je’lon Alexander, M.A. (@JelonAlexander) August 6, 2023
Black Twitter watching the Montgomery Brawl: pic.twitter.com/i8rMAAK6eR
— Himmy Hendrix, Esq. (@GeneralWarPHare) August 7, 2023
Guys why am I still watching the Montgomery brawl vids and smiling pic.twitter.com/0sTSYxhRuw
— CLOUT CHASERS FC (@TheeAzanian) August 7, 2023
All weekend, we’ve witnessed Black Americans stand on code together. First with Jamie Foxx & the Jennifer Aniston fiasco & now with this Montgomery Alabama brawl.
Our ancestors are proud! pic.twitter.com/MSbOFV1w5N
— Aint No Money Joe (@GoddessShanell_) August 6, 2023
Sorry, but I really need to circle back to the Black man who swam, because Michael B. Phelps aka Acqua Mayne aka Boy-Got-Gills Scott-Heron aka Black Ariel‘s brother can not be denied his due for doing a lot more than wading in that water.
Black Warmaids.. Montgomery never saw us coming #Alabama #Riverboat #MontgomeryAlabama #MontgomeryBrawl pic.twitter.com/475zQ5uQ9z
— J_1neofakindnoocap (@1_ofakindnocap) August 7, 2023
Perhaps the best thing about that Montgomery brawl is that boy swimming towards the smoke for me#riverboatbrawl pic.twitter.com/pPN6Wfr3RZ
— LH/LBJ (@LH44LBJ23) August 7, 2023
this song over the montgomery river brawl pic.twitter.com/pzX2DecpUl
— jadyn (@jjburk_) August 7, 2023
Anyway, now that all the smoke has cleared, the Black delegation has put a number of proposals on the table, including making August 5 a national Black holiday, and my personal request to change the name of the boat that was trying to dock from “Harriott II” to “Harriet Tubman’s Move-B*tch-Get-Out-The-Way-Mobile.”
#BREAKINGNEWS on August 5th a massive race brawl occured at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama. A belligerent pale male assaulted a Black security guard. There were several Black onlookers and many jumped in and the rest is #Blackhistory follow #2RAW4TV for more details pic.twitter.com/1x4VxcpSic
— Palmetto_Star (@Palmetto_Star) August 7, 2023
It was a glorious moment that shall not be forgotten. Salute!
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