The Brawls

THE EDITOR: Dear Sir/Madame,

Within one week, two Facebook videos which were labelled “brawls” went viral – the “Riu Brawl” at the Riu Hotel in Jamaica and the “Montgomery Brawl” in the United States.

The “Riu Brawl” video displays two seemingly African American guests shouting aggressively at a hotel waitress.  The obviously dissatisfied guests angrily walk away, but not before violently throwing a cup or glass of liquid into the waitress’ face. In response, the waitress grabs the guests and starts beating them, only to be eventually pulled away by her co-workers.

Based on social media news networks, the “Montgomery Brawl” episode occurred when a Riverboat carrying many African American passengers was unable to dock due to the presence of a smaller boat. Prior to the arrival of the Riverboat, a black security officer informed the “white American” passengers on the smaller boat of the restricted area, but they refused to comply. When the Riverboat arrived, the same security officer attempted to shift the smaller boat but was aggressively confronted and beaten violently by the “white American” occupants. Witnessing the violence towards their “brother”, several African American women and men attacked and beat the “white American” occupants. 

There is a nexus between these events and the manner of reporting, notwithstanding the separation of time and geography. First, it is inaccurate and misleading to label them as “brawls.” The Oxford Dictionary defines a brawl as a “rough or noisy fight or quarrel.” Both incidents were initiated by persons (African Americans and white Americans, respectively) who violated and disrespected individuals who were responsibly performing their duties. When violated, it is natural to defend one’s dignity. It’s not a brawl. It’s a violation.

Second, we need to recognize the historical and cultural realities that trigger such violations and their concomitant responses. We cannot discount centuries of historical oppression of enslaved Africans in the United States and, in tandem with it, white entitlement and privileges, racism that motivates the antagonists, and the inherited trauma that may have triggered such a violent response.

Incidents have historical, cultural, and emotional root causes. When we understand root causes, we avoid mislabelling, which distorts the truth. One example is the so-called “Morant Bay Rebellion.” The use of the word “rebellion” places emphasis and blame on the so-called “rebellious” landless peasants. Relabelling it, the “Morant Bay Massacre” focuses on the brutality of the initiators and tells the true story.  The important take-away actions  from these stories is to drill down to the root causes, label the incidents appropriately to pinpoint the truth, and propose actions to redress the aggrieved.

Rev. Fr. Donald Chambers, JP