Reggie Ray was instantly exalted to hero status in some quarters when he was famously filmed smashing a white folding chair upon the domes of a pair of White aggressors during the Montgomery Riverfront brawl.
Ray decided to enter a guilty plea to the charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for using an object to try to injure someone on Aug 5, 2023. Montgomery County Judge Judge Milton Westry sentenced Ray to 50 hours of community service, leaving supporters in Alabama and beyond relieved that he would avoid any jail time.
The judge also sentenced Ray to 90 days in jail but suspended the sentence. His court costs totaled $357, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
#ReggieRay, the man responsible for the viral folding chair moment during the #MontgomeryBrawl will avoid jail time.
The G.O.A.T 🪑FOREVER!!!! ❤️🔱🖤 pic.twitter.com/ijsHY6TcDP
— D.W.🇺🇸 (@Royal_Patience) December 12, 2023
As Geto Boys legend Willie D points out, the Black community literally and figuratively surrounded Ray with support, love and dollars. He was one of the many Blacks who raced to defend Harriot II riverboat co-captain Dameion Pickett after he was jumped by a group of belligerent White folks.
Because Ray knocked the sensibilities out of a White male and female, he became an international viral sensation and caused the sale of white folding chair memorabilia to skyrocket. And Ray got the bag as his family raised hundreds of thousands of dollars toward his defense that he’ll no longer need.
