Cops say it wasn't racially motivated, but other captains who witnessed what lead up to it say it absolutely was racially motivated. No reasonable person would have struck another for it. It's Alabama, so of course cops aren't going to say it was racially motivated.
Videos: https://www.tmz.com/2023/08/11/alabama-riverboat-brawl-arrest-man-wielding-chair-reggie-ray/
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-response-recovery-fund
Article: https://news.yahoo.com/chair-wielding-man-reggie-ray-152515317.html
Police claim the Aug. 5 riverfront brawl started when white individuals refused to move their tiny boat from a pier intended for the riverboat Harriott II. One of the white boaters rushed and swung at the Black riverboat co-captain, 43-year-old Dameion Pickett, after he attempted to reason with the group.
As Pickett defended himself, other people attacked him, and as a result, onlookers stepped in with support, based on videos released online. It eventually escalated into a massive brawl with numerous participants.
Darryl J. Albert, chief of the Montgomery Police Department, announced that Richard Roberts, 48, is facing two third-degree assault charges. Zachery Shipman, 25; Allen Todd, 23; and Mary Todd, 21, are each charged with one count of third-degree assault.
Third degree assault for an unwarranted attack that was not only physical, but verbal and lead up to a riot. Seems legit. Who are these officers trying to protect again? The victim who got attacked and beat up or the racially motivated attackers?
But Jim Kittrell, captain of the Harriott II, disagreed, stating he didn’t believe the people attacking his shipmate had “any other reason” but race.
“All he did was move their boat up three feet,” Kittrell said, according to Insider. “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 Dameion was racially motivated.”
Pretty much sums up a hate crime. The attackers felt they could do whatever they wanted to the black co-captain without any serious consequence which the prosecutors are delivering in a gift wrapped box. "Third degree assault" 🙄