Two of the white defendants involved in the iconic moment in contemporary Black history, the Montgomery Riverfront brawl, received their (predictably very light) sentences Friday, months after the malevolent mayo mayhem went viral.
Source: Montgomery Police Department / Montgomery Police Department
According to CNN, 48-year-old Richard Roberts pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for his part in the viral fight that occurred in August, and he was sentenced to 32 days in custody, which he gets to serve on the weekends over the course of four months. (So, it’s like jail, but also like a timeshare.)
Todd will also pay all costs associated with his case and perform 100 hours of community service.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Mary Todd, who pleaded guilty to harassment as part of a plea agreement, was sentenced to anger management classes, which she has 90 days to complete. She also must pay court costs.
Neither of the defendants got much more than a slap on the wrist, which is fine (or whatever) since the world already watched them and other caucasity-infused assailants of Black riverboat co-captain Damien Pickett get slapped around with folding chairs and beaten up by Black people who rushed in to protect their own.
Besides, interestingly enough, Reggie Ray, the Black man who basically made the folding chair a symbol of Black pride after the brawl went viral, received disorderly conduct, the vaguest and typically the least serious charge out of them all.
Ray, 42, and two other defendants—Allen Todd, 24, and Zachary Shipman, 26—had their cases continued, so we’ll have to wait to see what penalties they will pay if any. Todd and Shipman were each charged with one count of third-degree assault.
As for Roberts, during his court appearance, he apologized to Picket and Daniel Warren, a 16-year-old deckhand Roberts assaulted.
“I’m sorry we met up like we did,” Roberts said, according to the New York Times. “I know you don’t believe it, but if we had met under different circumstances, we probably could have been friends.”
Yeah, that’s pretty doubtful, especially since Roberts was accused of using the n-word during the brawl. He should have a seat—preferably one that folds.
