Racism lies at the core of the melee at an Alabama dock that gained widespread attention over the weekend, according to the captain of the Riverfront Park boat connected to the chaos.
The vessel’s captain, Capt. Jim Kittrell says the confrontation, which unfolded between his crew, consisting of Black members, and a group of reportedly intoxicated white boaters, was fueled by racial tensions.
The captain’s statement comes as the local authorities and FBI have ruled out hate crimes in the case.
“This whole thing is just because these guys were being a- -holes,” Kittrell told The Daily Beast. “I was nice as a peach when I was talking to them at first: ‘Please, help me out here, fellas. Move the boat up a little bit.’”
On Saturday evening, Kittrell discovered a pontoon boat occupying the designated area reserved for the Harriott II, a cruise vessel that offers dinner, dancing, and live entertainment, at Montgomery’s Riverfront Park.
Using his public address system, he politely asked the pontoon boat’s owners to relocate. However, his request was met with indifference, as the pontoon boat occupants ignored him.
Kittrell’s friend brought a smaller vessel to help clear the path for the larger Harriott II, carrying 227 passengers. The plan was to have a senior deckhand, Damien Pickett, go ashore and assist in maneuvering the Harriott II into position, requiring just a slight adjustment of a few feet.
Despite these efforts, the people on the pontoon boat continued to disregard Kittrell’s requests, forcing him to eventually call 911 for assistance.
“They started shooting birds at us, so I called the police,” Kittrell said.
When Pickett got to the dock, he carefully pushed the pontoon boat forward by a few feet so that Harriott II could remove its passengers.
Bystander video showed Pickett, who is Black, trying to reason with the pontoon boaters, who were white. Suddenly, a young white man rushed Pickett and…
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