August 7, 2024 marks the one year anniversary of the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl and social media is deeming it a national holiday.
The brawl started when Dameion Pickett, the co-captain of the Harriott II, asked the operators of a private boat that was docked in its space to move, getting only “obscene gestures” and “taunting” in response.
As the men approached Pickett, he sent what is now known as a distress call —the hat toss. Black men and women of all ages came to his rescue. The end result was pure chaos resulting in one of the black men clearing the scene with a white folding chair.
In the end, no major charges were filed by the FBI who investigated the incident as a possible hate crime. Dameion Pickett kept his job and is has now become somewhat of a national treasure with black people showing up to take pictures and show him love.
Wow! I didn’t even know he was facing a criminal trial for this. Smh imagine setting yourself up then catching a charge for setting yourself up.
Did anybody ever figure out why he did this? What in the heck was the ultimate purpose of all of this? What was the end game?
Insider — The criminal trial of actor Jussie Smollett, who is accused of staging a hate crime against himself, is set to begin Monday after years of delays.
In January 2019, Smollett reported to Chicago police that he had been attacked by two men wearing ski masks while walking home from a Subway sandwich shop around 2 a.m., claiming they shouted racist and homophobic slurs and referenced former President Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.” He also said the men placed a noose around his neck.
At the time of the attack, Smollett, who is Black and openly gay, was starring on the TV show “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago.
Shortly after the attack, which was first investigated as a hate crime, police and prosecutors said they believed Smollett himself had staged it. He was accused of making a false report to police and was charged with felony disorderly conduct.
I said I wasn’t going to dive too much into this case because watching the trial was like watching a circus side show.
The judge, short of a few marbles, clearly and brazenly assisted the defense essentially swaying the jury and even allowing the defendant to draw jurors like bingo numbers.
On the end, KKKyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of ALL FIVE CHARGES and allowed to ride off into the sunset all smiles after killing 2 people and injuring a 3rd during the Jacob Blake protests in Kenosha.
Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, claimed he had traveled from his home in Antioch, Ill., to protect private property and help as a medic.
Amid protests that had turned violent and destructive, Rittenhouse fatally shot two men with an assault-style rifle.
My main issue is like most of America, I felt like Rittenhouse went to the protest with full intentions of causing more trouble. He claims he went as the “Good Samaritan” but he showed up with an AR-15 assault style rifle and 3 people ended up shot.
I could maybe understand if he was going to protect his own private property but he was not. He went to play vigilante. Had he never traveled 15-20 minutes to the scene to engage and antagonize the situation, none of this would have ever happened. The fact that he got away with killing people, claiming self defense, is what’s so mind blowing and damn right unfair.
Not even a slap on the wrist — a full acquittal of every charge, including first-degree intentional homicide, in a case that’s captivated, and divided, a nation.
What are your thoughts? Do you think the not guilty verdict is fair and appropriate in this case? Do you think Rittenhouse went to the protest with the intentions of rendering aid or murdering people?
The Pen Hustle With Brandy Cavalli 
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