On August 5, 2023, a brawl broke out at Riverfront Park, Montgomery, Alabama. Videos of the altercation are now going viral on social media. According to witnesses, a worker was attacked when trying to clear a dock along the river.

While clearing a dock to let the Harriet II Riverboat dock, a worker began untying the boat of uncooperative boaters. Refusing to move their pontoon, the group of white men attacked the black worker. In videos provided by witnesses, what appeared to be black people rushed in to defend the worker. The footage shows punching, pushing, hair being pulled, a man being hit in the head with a chair, and even a person falling into the water. Among the chaos was police struggling to dissipate the violent scene.

Many say the intentions of the men were racially motivated while others say their actions were fueled by alcohol and adreneline. Some witnesses spoke out calling the behavior “inexcusable” and described the scene as “hard to watch.” They stated that they felt helpless as they watched their “poor crewman” be attacked by the stubborn men.

On August 6, Mayor Steven L. Reed issued a statement regarding the issue. 

“Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job. Warrants have been issued and justice will be served,” he stated. “This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred. As our police department investigates these intolerable actions we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community.” He concluded his statement with, “Those who choose violent actions will be held accountable by our criminal justice system.”