From holding top office to being in the dock

Multiple people were arrested by Montgomery Police on Saturday evening following a large brawl that broke out on the city’s Riverfront dock after a group of white boaters attacked a Black dock worker apparently without provocation.

The fight escalated when city workers and others joined the fight a short time later and fought with the boaters.

“Last night, the Montgomery Police Department acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said in a statement released on social media on Sunday. “Warrants have been signed and justice will be served. This was an unfortunate incident which never should have occurred. As our police department investigates these intolerable actions, we should not become desensitized to violence of any kind in our community. Those who choose violence will be held accountable by our criminal justice system.”

MPD has not yet released the names of those arrested. A city official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said police officials late Sunday afternoon were still sorting through video and witness statements and assessing charges.

One of the boaters, Chase Shipman, the owner of Vasser’s Mini Mart in Selma, posted on Facebook and admitted to being involved in the melee. Although Shipman claimed he didn’t take part in the fighting and wanted to stop it because he knew it was wrong to attack the dock worker, video of the incident appears to show him punching the dock worker repeatedly while he was on the ground. By late Sunday afternoon, Vasser’s Mini Mart had removed its online presence completely and listed its location as permanently closed on Google.

There will be few places to hide, though. Videos of the incident went viral on Sunday, and the melee became one of the most talked about topics on all social media platforms across the country. It was featured on nearly every national news website.

The incident began in the late afternoon on Saturday, as the Harriott II, Montgomery’s city-owned riverboat, which takes passengers on slow, short cruises up and down the Alabama River, was attempting to dock from its afternoon run. A video taken from aboard the Harriott and posted to Facebook shows the riverboat idling in the middle of the river for several minutes because a group of pontoon boats had parked in the dock space typically reserved for the Harriott.

A worker with the Harriott can be seen on a separate video – also posted to Facebook – talking with a group of white people on the dock near the pontoons. The conversation between the boaters, who are all white, and the Harriott worker, who is Black, becomes increasingly more animated. A short time later, the worker, and another city employee, can be seen untying and moving one of the pontoons several feet down the dock in order to make room for the Harriott.

At that point, the boaters return and the conversation, which can’t be heard on the video, becomes increasingly animated and angry. And then one of the boaters hit the Harriott worker. Then, several of the other boaters, all white, jumped into the fray and begin beating the worker while he’s on the ground. While that is occurring, a young Black man can be seen swimming from the still idling Harriott – some 30 yards from the dock – to aid the worker.

Once the swimmer, who was identified in a press statement from his family’s publicist only as Aaren, 16, made it to the dock, the Harriott worker had broken away from his attackers, thanks to the assistance of another man, and was walking down the dock.

For the next several minutes, as the Harriott, filled with coworkers and friends of the man attacked, slowly made its way to the dock, nothing happened. But for some inexplicable reason, the boaters, who had to hear the shouts coming from the riverboat, remained on the dock.

It’s a decision they’ll likely regret for a long, long time.

As soon as the Harriott docked, several young Black men made their way to the boaters and an all-out brawl ensued. The boaters – both men and women – did not fare well. At one point, an older Black man can be seen on a video swinging a folding chair and connecting.

Montgomery Police can be seen on various videos arresting many of the participants – both white and Black – and leading them away in handcuffs.

Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and featured columnist at the Alabama Political Reporter with years of political reporting experience in Alabama. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.

For those who live along the river, the idea of having a boat dock can be attractive. However, specific laws, rules and procedures go into installing a boat dock, and it’s important to be aware of the process, especially for those living adjacent to federally managed shorelines.

For example, most of the shoreline on Lake Wallula (the reservoir behind McNary Dam) is federally managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Walla Walla District. In 2012, the Walla Walla District developed a plan, the McNary Shoreline Management Plan, to properly balance environmental stewardship, protection of cultural resources, and the public's desire for recreation.

“It’s kind of a unique situation in that it’s the only area we have in our area of responsibility where there are private docks on these public lands, which is pretty cool. It’s not unique in the United States though. It’s actually quite common,” Rodney Huffman, Chief of Real Estate for the Walla Walla District Corps of Engineers said.

Environmental effects

While boat docks may seem innocuous, development along the shoreline can pose problems from an environmental perspective. Lawns and artificial structures can interfere with wildlife habitat, limiting nesting opportunities for birds, causing erosion, or providing improper shade along the river’s edge.

A natural shoreline might have trees and shrubs providing dappled patches of shade where young salmon can find food and enjoy the cover and cooler water.

This natural covering is very different from the shade created by a dock, which can provide ideal hiding spots for predators. Ambush predators like bass often use shadows created by docks and pilings to hide before darting out to eat small fish, like young salmon.

Because some docks and other structures pose a problem to the Corps’ mission of environmental stewardship and hamper recreational access to the river, the shoreline management plan comes into play.

“Ideally we would offer both the opportunity for land owners to have the docks and the access that they would like, but also at the same time try to keep the environmental consequences in mind for fish and wildlife,” Brad Trumbo, Biologist in Environmental Compliance for the Walla Walla District, said.

There are rules applicants must follow when applying to build a boat dock. For example, docks must allow for at least 50 percent light penetration, using grating with minimal floats underneath to avoid creating hiding places for predators.

“On pillars and posts that are used to hold docks in place, if someone isn’t using an auger type system and chain which holds it underwater, we ask for cones up top because that stops birds from landing on it and perching and basically using that as their line of sight to pick off young salmonids or adults. And then there are certain materials that are more environmentally friendly,” Damian Walter, Wildlife Biologist for the Walla Walla District, said, commenting on the use of certain metals over pressure-treated woods which may release leachates and affect water quality.

Private use of public lands

Even though some of the people who live along the shoreline can apply for private docks, the land along the shoreline is still public land and is open to public access. A homeowner cannot, for example, mow the land around the dock without permission, clear vegetation, or add fences or decorative features. The land should not look like private land. Those who are out recreating are allowed to walk across federally managed shorelines freely.

“If you have a picnic table, or you have a chair, for that day, yeah that’s fine. But just take it off at the end of the day and bring it back on your property … that land is open to the public and they need to be able to go back and forth. And if somebody were to pull up near the shoreline, they have a right to be there and so just have that professional courtesy that you have with all your neighbors, that’s all we ask,” Walter said.

From an environmental perspective, the shoreline is crucial riparian habitat for a variety of species. While landscaping may seem like a good idea from a property value perspective, it could wind up harming the species who depend on that land as a corridor to reach food and shelter.

In addition to concerns for fish and wildlife, the Corps is also responsible for managing and preserving historically significant resources such as archaeological sites. The shoreline behind the McNary Dam contains numerous sites that are important to various tribes including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Yakima Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Nez Perce Tribe. These resources are similarly protected by federal law and are carefully considered when deliberating on a new dock approval under the McNary Shoreline Management Plan.

“We might have a different goal or management objective for that land, and it may not be putting a lawn on it. It might be for wildlife habitat for instance, because critters gotta have a place to live too. And so we do run into those situations, where [homeowners] think they’re doing the right thing, but it might be actually kind of in opposition to what the agency’s goals are for those lands,” Huffman said.

Within the permit

“Advice to homeowners: read your permit. That’s really the first thing. And when you have questions, ask the natural resource ranger what that permit says and what their expectations are,” Huffman said.

The most important thing a homeowner can do is take the time to read all the way through the permit and become familiar with what they can and cannot do. Familiarizing yourself with the permit can go a long way towards avoiding misunderstandings in the future.

“The biggest challenge we have is where people have done things that are in direct conflict with their permit and that puts them at risk to lose their boat dock permit. Because if they don’t follow the rules, we can’t reissue a boat dock permit. So that’s where we get into problems is when people are not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, which kind of ties our hands as to how we can react,” Huffman said.

The process of getting a permit to build or keep a boat dock can be time-consuming, as the Corps must evaluate the effects of each individual proposal on environmental and cultural resources. Proposals may need to be altered so that construction plans meet regulations.

Once approval is given for construction of a new dock, additional coordination is needed to make sure construction occurs within a timeframe that won’t affect the fish swimming up or down the river. Often this process can take up to a year and involves applicants paying administrative fees to cover the time spent processing requests. To ensure the most efficient outcomes for all parties it is crucial for applicants to keep clear lines of communication open with the Corps.

For those interested in learning more, information about the McNary Shoreline Management Plan and about boat dock permits can be found at https://www.nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects/McNary-Shoreline-Management-Plan/. Also at that link is a pamphlet outlining the guidelines for property owners who live adjacent to federally managed lands. Those with questions can contact the McNary Natural Resources Office at 541-922-2268 or the Walla Walla District Real Estate Office at 509-527-7320.

What are the OSHA requirements for docks?

OSHA Compliant Dock Barriers A company's loading dock safety checklist must include safety barriers. According to OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i), a dock that creates a drop of four feet or more must be guarded with a barrier. Chains are one-way employers can create a barrier, but bars are often recommended.

What is a dock in a distribution center?

It's the entrance or exit point for goods that are being loaded or unloaded from trucks and vans, making it a critical element of production, ingress, and egress. Highly efficient loading docks maximize the flow of goods in and out of the warehouse, ensuring that customers are served quickly and efficiently.

What should be placed between a truck and a loading dock?

Dock plates, dockboards and dock levelers are designed to bridge the gap between the trailer and the dock to ensure workers and forklifts can safely load or unload trailers.

What is the 29 CFR 1910.23 B loading dock?

The current OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.23(b) relating to Protection for Wall Openings and Holes states that every wall opening from which there is a drop of more than 4 feet shall be guarded by an actual fall protection barrier.