5 unforgettable moments from Montgomery’s ‘bloody Saturday’

From the memes to the angles, here’s what made the melee so unforgettable
5 unforgettable moments from Montgomery's 'bloody Saturday'
Man wears a T-shirt with a screenshot of the brawl that took place in Montgomery, Alabama on Aug. 5 (Image source: Facebook – Jermale Sullivan)

A fight on Aug. 5 in Montgomery, Alabama, has become the talk of the internet. According to on-site witnesses and social media users, a group of people docked a pontoon boat at the city’s riverfront. The pontoon was in the way of a ferry boat being able to dock, so a security guard told the group to move their boat. The group with the smaller boat refused and began engaging in a shouting match with the security guard. The arguing turned into pushing from members of the group, who were all White, against the one Black security guard.

Once the altercation turned physical, a couple of Black bystanders swooped in to help the security guard. One Black staff member jumped off the large riverboat and began swimming to the dock to protect the security himself. Once the larger riverboat finally docked, a group of Black men confronted the group of White men who attacked the Black security guard. The altercation ended up in multiple arrests of both the Black and White participants.


“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 Reed said, in a statement. “Warrants have been signed and justice will be served.

“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. Those who choose violence will be held accountable by our criminal justice system.”


Here are the five most memorable takeaways from the viral brawl.

Swimming hero is identified

The staff member who swam from the riverboat to the dock to defend the security guard has been identified as 16-year-old Aaren. His parents released a statement of gratitude.

“The outpouring of affection serves as a reminder that TOGETHER, we can create positive change and uplift one another,” his parents’ statement read.

The chair memes

One of the stars of the video was the older Black gentleman who contributed to the fight by hauling a white folding chair around and striking bystanders with it.

Jermale’s shirt

Hours after the brawl went viral, Jermale Sullivan showed off his new T-shirt on Facebook.

The hat toss

Once the group began attacking the Black security guard, the guard threw his hat in the air.

Can’t remain anonymous

Following the brawl, Facebook users found the personal pages of some of the White attackers involved.

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