On August 5, 2023, history was nearly made following a worldwide viral brawl between a group of ignant white boaters and seemingly, the entire Black population of a Montgomery, Alabama riverboat.
Last summer, a group of boaters docked their small boats in the area reserved for the Harriott II riverboat. As the riverboat returned, the white folks in the smaller boats refused to move for at least 45 minutes, drawing the captain, Dameion Pickett, to confront them. However, that confrontation got heated QUICK.
Next thing you knew, one white guy shoved Pickett, Pickett stepped back, tossed his hat in the air like he was sending the Batman signal to all the Black folks in the surrounding area, and the brawl kicked off.
The whole ordeal quickly bubbled into a larger fight as more Black people shuffled in the mix to defend Pickett while he got dogpiled on. The internet reeled over the comical scene of it all: a fully-clothed teen swimming across the river to immediately join the action, a man wielding a folding chair to contribute in the ass whoopin’. Overall, the incident symbolized a sense of unity across all Black folks who knew their brother was a victim of a racially charged attack.
Ever wonder what happened to everyone after the fact? Let’s see what came of all the characters of Fade in The Water Day.
Dameion Pickett
The captain who sent the Avengers assemble signal was originally charged with third-degree assault and pleaded not guilty. However, the count was dismissed, per the Montgomery Advertiser.
Daniel Warren
The 16-year-old deckhand did not receive any criminal charges in the incident. He received a formal apology from one of the white brawl-starters who punched him in the ribs, per court records.
Reggie Ray
The folding chair wielding vigilante pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and sentenced to a 90-day suspended jail sentence. He was ordered to 50 hours of community service, per the Montgomery Advertiser.
Aaren Hamilton Rudolph
Rudolph or “Black Aquaman,” as we named him, went off to work at a summer swimming program serving kids in the inner city. He also created an aquatic comic book about bullying, as he previously said in an NABJ interview.
Richard Roberts
The Selma native who threw the first punch at Pickett pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault against Pickett and Warren. He was sentenced to 32 days of a four-month suspended jail sentence as well as 100 hours of community service and court fees, per the Montgomery Advertiser.
Mary Todd and Allen Todd
The troubling siblings both entered guilty pleas in connection to the incident. Mary pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment in her assault against Pickett and was ordered to attend an anger management class. Her trifling brother pleaded guilty to harassment and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service as well as an anger management course, the Montgomery Advertiser.
Zachery Shipman
Shipman, like his buddy Allen, pleaded guilty to harassment and was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service and attend an anger management course.