By Dr. Jessica Johnson
Guest Column
The viral video of the Montgomery, Alabama riverboat brawl on Aug. 5 has led to numerous internet memes highlighting this violent confrontation between the Black riverboat co-captain who was on duty and the group of White people who assaulted him. Many of the memes have referenced Jason Aldean’s country hit “Try That in a Small Town,” whose lyrics have been interpreted by critics as promoting racial discord steeped in longstanding Southern hostility.
As I wrote last week about the accusations that Aldean has faced, I mentioned that the social media “war of words” regarding his song had calmed down, but with the unfortunate attack on the waterfront captain, who has been identified as Damien Pickett, things have gotten a little testy again. Footage from the fight shows that Pickett was trying to explain to the White boaters that they needed to move their pontoon to make room for the riverboat attempting to dock. When they did not comply with Pickett’s request, he started to remove their boat and tensions escalated that led to the scuffle.
Some of the memes of this incident are actually amusing, which I think many people can handle since thankfully no one was seriously injured when the fight took place. A few that I saw on Twitter included nicknames for the young man who swam to Pickett’s defense from the incoming riverboat with mostly Black passengers. People came up with several funny monikers for him that included “Underwater Brother,” “Nautical King Cole” and “Catfish Cuz.” You would definitely have to be from the South to grasp the humor of that last one.
A still shot of the fight that I viewed on Twitter between the White boaters and the Blacks who rushed to Pickett’s aid, however, perfectly captured the racial animosity that this clash evoked. You could imagine a line had been drawn on the dock between the Whites and Blacks as hands were raised and fists were clinched.
Montgomery Police Chief Darryl J. Albert has said that he does not believe the fight was racially motivated but has not ruled this out as the investigation is ongoing. Watching the fight video on news outlets made me think about some of my friends from the east coast who have vowed never to visit Alabama along with Mississippi due to these states’ painful history of racial struggle. The riverboat dock’s location also reminds many people of Montgomery’s role in the slave trade during the 1800s where Africans were sold in the city’s downtown area. Fast forward to the 1950s and the civil rights annals include the bombing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s home shortly after the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. No one was prosecuted for the bombing and King urged his followers who had shown up to fight for him, many who were members of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where he pastored, to stay the course of nonviolence. King led the Dexter Avenue congregation from 1954 to 1960, and this church location, along with First Baptist Church on Ripley Street, was an important site for the organization of the bus boycott.
As of this writing, three of the men in the pontoon boat and one woman have been charged in the brawl, and police are seeking to question a Black man who swung a folding chair that was seen in additional footage.
I’ve read several newspaper headlines that have focused on how the riverfront fight relates to current and past racial frictions. I pondered on these a bit, being an educator and student of history, and I came across some encouraging words from a White teenager who said something King would tell us today. This young man was the featured speaker for the Bible app YouVersion on Aug. 8. He didn’t mention the brawl, but he did briefly discuss political divisions. The theme of his message was to “focus on what unites us” and to seek unity through the love of Christ. King would echo this sentiment, as he once said that love “is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.” This young man’s Godly vision for unity is uplifting because he, like many in his generation, is not weighed down by the heavy burdens of bigotry and hatred. He doesn’t view the world through a racial lens, which serves as a great example for us all.
The investigation of the riverboat attack against Pickett may or may not be determined as racially driven, but the videos clearly show a spiritual change is needed in how many people view others.
Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at The Ohio State University-Lima. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @JjSmojc. Her opinion does not necessarily represent the views of The Lima News or its owner, AIM Media.
