On August 5, 2023, several White people attacked a Black man, Dameion Pickett, who was working at the Montgomery Riverboat dock area when he was attacked for requesting a private sailor moved their boat so that the ferry boat with passengers could dock.
According to video footages that went viral, a verbal confrontation between Pickett and several White men transpired, and then, the unthinkable happened. You could see Pickett being plummeted and trampled by the White men. Also visible on the videos were white women getting involved, hitting Pickett.
In a handwritten statement, Pickett filed with law enforcement after the Aug. 5 melee, he recalled what happened the day when the men refused to move their boat so a dinner cruise riverboat could dock.
“A tall, older white guy came over and hit me in the face. I took my hat off and threw it in the air,” he wrote. “Somebody hit me from behind. I started choking the older guy in front of me so he couldn’t anymore, pushing him back at the same time.”
Then it turned into an all-out brawl when several Black people, who watched the horrific incident happen before their eyes, respond by helping Pickett fight off his attackers. This sent shockwaves throughout the social media world with Blacks cheering, memes being created, and articles written about the history of the Montgomery slave trade in the same location of the brawl.
Several individuals were charged: Allen Todd, 23, and Zachery Shipman, 25, have been charged with one misdemeanor count of assault in the third degree, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Police Department said.
Another man, Richard Roberts, 48, faces two third-degree assault charges and turned himself in on Aug. 8.
A fourth suspect in the case, Mary Todd, 21, turned herself in on Aug. 10 and was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault.
A fifth suspect, Reggie Ray, 42, turned himself in on Aug. 11 and was charged with disorderly conduct. Police requested to interview Ray after he was seen wielding a folding chair in the melee on social media videos.
Consequently, or coincidently, on August 26, 2023, Ryan Palmeter, a 21-year-old White man, who was a former employee of Dollar General Store, walked into the store and killed 3 Black people, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre, Jr., 19; Jerrald Gallion, 29; and Angela Michelle Carr, 52.
An investigation revealed, less than an hour before the deadly rampage, Palmeter drove to the parking lot of Edward Waters University – the first historically Black college or university in Florida, the school’s president and CEO said.
It was also revealed that Palmeter had some mental issues, a manfesto, swasitka sign and other racist messages on one of the automatic weapons used in the killings, His parents were aware of Palmeter's recent purchase of automatic weapons. His father called the police to alert them of Palmeter's intention after receiving a message from his son to check his computer.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE SHOOTER
Palmeter a young White male who was a racist and hated Black people. His parents knew this but allowed him to purchase weapons and they didn't do anything about it. Though he had previous incidents that included a 2016 domestic call to his home, the incidnet did not result in an arrest, police said. A year later, he was temporarily detained for emergency health services under Florida's Baker Act when he threatened to commit suicide. The sheriff said he had no criminal record and there were no red flags.
Court records show he also received a speeding tickets in June 2023 in and around Jacksonville. He was driving a 2004 Honda Element on Old Middleburg Road going 41 mph in a 35 mph speed limit, according to the citation.
However, what we do know about the shooter is that he killed three innocent Black people due to the insane ideology about racism and White supremacy.
DID THE MONTGOMERY BRAWL FUEL THE JACKSONVILLE SHOOTING
Considering what we know about the Jacksonville Shooter, the Montgomery Brawl could have been a breaking point for the Jacksonville shooter due to his hate and disdain for Black people. The celebration, the memes, and articles written about the history of slavery and Black people responding in unity and fighting back against racism and oppression may have given Palmeter the fuel he needed to ignite and react in a racist violent manner.
Whether we want to believe it or not, the Montgomery Brawl turned into a Black versus White situation, which most Black people all over the world celebrated. Social Media went crazy! The brawl went viral!
Nevertheless, Whites versus Blacks have always been an issue since the emergence of racism, White supremacy, and slavery. Whites have rewritten history, have raised questions about their role in tampering with the Bible, and have gone out their way to justify their unfounded assertions about the Black community. There are scholars, scientists, psychologists, authors, entrepreneurs, professionals, media, and government officials who pushed narratives, supported unfounded facts, and turned lies into the truth from the 1500s up until to the present day.
From the extreme radical and racist right-wing groups to the more liberal but racist groups that foster racism in a more modern and deceptive way, have created what we see in racists like the Jacksonville shooter.
Whites in the government, media, and workplace have systemically controlled the social, political, and economical imbalance among Whites and Blacks. Instead of changing the climate and destroying racism, it has pandered such behaviors, keeping division and chaos, while the richer gets richer and poorer gets poorer.
So, when it comes down to sports or anything, there is a huge competition that always boils down to White versus Black. Who is better?
In most cases, different groups take sides with their perspective groups and really don't support the other group. When examining the race divide in politics, communities, and the church, these are examples that stand true. Despite the many discussions about this problem, we have failed to solve the real issues.
Many Whites families share the belief that they are better, and Blacks are lesser. When you observe the social makeup of White and Black families, there is a big difference between how Whites look at themselves and the world versus how Blacks view themselves and the world. There is a false sense of control, ownership, and entitlement displayed by whites.
However, Blacks view themselves and the world in different light. They approach life with feeling like they have to be a certain way to be accepted and always have to prove themselves.
Psychologically, both groups social makeup is comprised by different outlooks and conceptualizations. Despite psychologists' and sociologists' research and discussions on race relations, the race divide seems to appear on several levels and seem like it's not ending anytime soon.
Whether the Montgomery Brawl fueled the Jacksonville shooter to kill innocent Black people remains to be answered, but the real issue is how, we as a country, address the real underlining conversation of racism and hate.
UNMANAGEABLE RACISM
Beyond American slavery, racism and White supremacy existed. It has been nurtured, cultivated, and perpetuated by an idea that Whites are better than everyone else. Racism birthed American slavery, which has been well documented for several decades.
After slavery, Jim and Jane Crow were created to perpetuate neo-slavery that Blacks have been experiencing since the emancipation of slavery.
Jim and Jane Crow were long-standing laws, rules, policies, ordinances, and practices that discriminated, excluded, marginalized, suppressed, and oppressed Blacks.
As Frederick Douglas, Hariett Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and Thurgood Marshall challenged slavery and racism, there was a slight shift that opened some doors for some Blacks we thought.
However, the government, U.S. Supreme Court, corporate America, and the White community refused to allow Blacks to elevate. There were laws passed that worked against the Black community such as redlining, redistricting, voting rights issues, and predatory lending to name a few. As a result, poverty affected the Black community, poor schools and housing, lack of assistance and funding, as well as jobs.
Many Blacks migrated from the south to urban cities up north for better opportunities but was faced with the same some harsh realities, the north was no different than the south.
Blacks were often harassed or beaten by police. In response individuals such as the Honorable Marcus Garvey, Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and Black Panther Partys spoke up, spoke truth to power, and took action.
Despite the Black community's outcry for human rights and resistance to racism, the government failed to protect the Black community.
The long history of violence against Black people by Whites and law enforcement has been documented for years. The list is very long without any real retribution for these horrendous crimes. Here's the most recent chronicles of horrific incidents:
(1) Dylann Storm Roof (born April 3, 1994) is an American white supremacist, Neo-Nazi, and mass murderer convicted of perpetrating the Charleston church shooting on June 17, 2015, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. During a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Roof killed nine people, all African Americans, including senior pastor and State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney, and injured a tenth person. After several people identified Roof as the main suspect, he became the center of a manhunt that ended the morning after the shooting with his arrest in Shelby, North Carolina. He later confessed that he committed the shooting in hopes of igniting a race war. Roof's actions in Charleston have been widely described as domestic terrorism.
On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, United States, at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the East Side neighborhood. Ten people, all of whom were Black, were murdered and three were injured. The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron, live streamed part of the attack on Twitch, but the livestream was shut down by the service in under two minutes. Gendron was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. He formally entered a plea of "not guilty" on May 19, 2022. On November 28, 2022, Gendron pleaded guilty to all state charges in the shooting, including murder, domestic terrorism, and hate crimes. On February 15, 2023, Gendron was sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole; as of that date, federal charges are still ongoing.
On August 26, 2023, three people were fatally shot by a gunman in a mass shooting that took place at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. Authorities identified Ryan Christopher Palmeter as the gunman, described as a 21-year-old white male. Palmeter shot and killed himself after he barricaded himself in an office. The incident has been described as a terrorist attack, was racially motivated, and is currently under investigation as a hate crime.
A Hate Asian Bill was passed due to violent shootings against Asians.
LGTBQ Community and women have received bills to protect them and provide viable rights.
However, the violence against Blacks, which happens often due to racism and injustices, has been ignored. Blacks are still waiting on their Hate Crime Bill.
This has been a real concern and discussion within the Black community that has been lingering on for forever--leaving the Black community in awe and in disbelief in a system that continues to allow innocent Black people to be killed every year without helping or protecting them.
CONCLUSION
The shootings of innocent Black people due to hate or racism is wrong. The fact that the government is silent to this violence is disrespectful and disgusting. The division and social divide seem like it will never end.
The Black community continues to suffer due to the social, political, and economical injustices, alone with the lack of properly distributing power and resources.
Schools in Black communities are underfunded and fails to properly educate. Black unemployment is higher than any other group per population. The lack of funding or receiving assistance continue to be an issue.
Police harassment and brutality still exist in the Black community.
Whether the government protect and serve the Black community in these dire times is still a pressing issue, nonetheless, Blacks are demanding change whether the government hear them or not. The Black community is pressing forward with their agendas and plans for change by being armed, prepared, and ready to respond to any kind of violence.
As the great singer and song writer, Gil Scott-Heron, said in a poetic rhyme, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."
By NFNC Staff Writer
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