As previously reported, the chair-wielding man who was accused of arming himself with a folding chair and using it to attack a white group during the massive Montgomery brawl, posted bail over the weekend.
42-year-old Reggie Ray turned himself into the Montgomery Police Department last Friday and was charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct over the brawl. Ray was reportedly released early Saturday morning. His bail comes after a GoFundMe raised nearly $300K as of this Tuesday morning. It has not yet been confirmed if the funds raised were used for his bail.
Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing Ray and multiple people from the brawl released a statement saying, “Mr. Reggie Ray is out,” Merritt wrote. “He is in good spirits. He got a speeding ticket on the way home but he was relieved to discover the community showed up for him and others in such a strong way.” In an earlier statement to ABC News, Merritt said Ray had been “involuntarily roped into the disorderly conduct initiated by a violent white mob” but will continue to participate in the ongoing investigation.
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Although it was an unfortunate situation, people turned the wild situation into a comical one. Some people posed with the chair near the dock and remade the scene on TikTok. Meanwhile, some even called for it to become a permanent feature of Black history.
More On The Montgomery Brawl
The Aug. 5 riverfront brawl started when white individuals refused to move their tiny boat from a pier intended for the riverboat Harriott II. One of the white boaters rushed and swung at the Black riverboat co-captain, 43-year-old Dameion Pickett, after he tried to talk with the group and reson with them.
After being slugged, Pickett tried his best to defend himself, but that’s when people jumped in the fight to attack. However nearby , sprung into action. It eventually escalated into a massive brawl with numerous participants. It later led to multiple arrests.
Four white boaters have since been charged with misdemeanor assault in the attack against Pickett, who is Black. Darryl J. Albert, chief of the Montgomery Police Department, previously announced that Richard Roberts, 48, is facing two third-degree assault charges. Zachery Shipman, 25; Allen Todd, 23; and Mary Todd, 21, are each charged with one count of third-degree assault.