The five participants arrested in the infamous brawl on the Riverfront in Montgomery, Alabama, have entered pleas in their case.
Four white boaters in the video — Mary Todd, Richard Roberts, Zachary Shipman and Allen Todd — went viral internationally for attacking a Black riverboat captain on Aug. 5, 2023. They have since pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault charges, according to Montgomery Municipal Court records obtained by the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the sole Black arrestee, Reggie Ray, who was captured on video slamming a folding chair atop the head of a defenseless White woman, also entered a plea of not guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
Videos of the brawl subsequently gave birth to a multiplicity of jokes, memes, parodies, earrings and other merchandise.
As has been reported ad nauseam, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said the racial brawl was precipitated by the White boat riders’ repeated refusal to move so that the official city riverboat boat could dock and let the dozens of passengers off.
Richard White, who is representing one of the White boaters, told WSFA television station that he is concerned his client won’t get fair treatment due to the international attention this case has produced.
“My client is innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “The media shouldn’t dictate outcomes or put pressure on any agency to decide guilt that should be done.”
