CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Amazed By Viral Video of White Boaters Attacking Black Dock Worker — Starting WILD Brawl
CNN anchor and Alabama native Kaitlan Collins was “amazed” at the stunning virality of a caught-on-many-cameras brawl that started when a group of White boaters attacked a Black dock worker.
Saturday evening, an all-out fracas erupted at Riverfront Park, in downtown Montgomery, Alabama when a group of White boaters refused a Black dock worker’s order to move their improperly-parked pontoon boat, and then began physically attacking the man.
What happened next was an instantly-iconic spectacle of bystanders mixing in, mainly along racial lines, to join the fray — including one 18-year-old who jumped off of the riverboat that was waiting to park where the attackers were moored, and swam in to aid the besieged dock worker.
On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins and CNN correspondent Ryan Young covered the brawl — which was caught on multiple viral videos that took over social media for the past several days — with Young noting the “racial implications” and Collins expressing amazement at the viral phenomenon:
YOUNG: Right now, what we’ve been told, from police is, four warrants have been issued. Of course, we did see some people being detained, yesterday, in that video. But now, we’re told, four warrants have been taken out, for arrest. We’re not sure who they’re looking for. But, at some point, you’re probably going to put handcuffs, on somebody, again, in this case, that’s really spread and taken over the internet, at this point.
Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, and we’ll see what we learn, tomorrow, about those potential arrests, in this press conference.
But what’s amazing also here is what you said there, about how many views this has. I mean, these videos have just gone viral, of people watching, what was documented, from several different angles here.
YOUNG: Well, when you think about it, the racial implications behind this, people really saw a man, who was trying to do his job, and all those folks, on the boat, tried to come to his aid.
The young man, who jumped in the water, at this point, has so many nicknames, on the internet, it’s not even funny. And we’ve learned that he’s on the age of 18. He swam all the way across, to help that worker.
So many people trying to figure out exactly what happened, and why this escalated.
To Collins’s point, the brawl was caught on multiple cameras and became a huge phenomenon on Twitter. Here are a few of the videos that captured various stages and angles of the brawl:
These white people jumped this black security guard at the Riverfront. The staff got off the boat and it turned into WWE Smackdown. I’m so proud of Montgomery 😭😂 pic.twitter.com/4DG5bShXfz
— Housatlantavegas (@_dreadadon) August 6, 2023
This video shows how the whole Alabama ferry brawl started.
Brother man was doing his job telling these folks to move their boat so the ferry could dock.
Privileged ass white people refused to move and then jumped him pic.twitter.com/6fPnjBDGsH
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) August 6, 2023
Update: they got arrested 😂 pic.twitter.com/33jYhZBr3i
— Housatlantavegas (@_dreadadon) August 6, 2023
For those that are wondering how far did he swim, this is how far the boat was. The crew members were waiting to whoop that ass 👏🏾😂 pic.twitter.com/vHwbgLh85X
— Housatlantavegas (@_dreadadon) August 6, 2023
Look at this Tiktok I found!! The band was singing “I need you to moveeee” on the boat 😭😂 I love us forreal 🤎 pic.twitter.com/m9zWVZUKaI
— Housatlantavegas (@_dreadadon) August 8, 2023
— YoMolicheu (@YoMolicheu) August 7, 2023
In fairly short order, there was a reenactment:
I was able to get a better angle of the weekend fight, Black Aquaman, chair guy, hatman….
the entire crew killing it #alabama #riverfrontpark pic.twitter.com/D9r9fdKxGB
— MaSt3r 0f C0in ★ (@mast3r0fc0in) August 7, 2023
There were also many, many nicknames for the young man who swam in to join the fight:
You’re welcome, y’all. #BlackTwitter #Montgomery pic.twitter.com/VJbFOGIYfV
— Chief White House Ice Cream Correspondent (@NTDubb) August 7, 2023
Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.
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