How a white folding chair became a symbol of resistance

It featured prominently in viral footage of a fight, where it was used as a blunt instrument. So why is the humble folding chair now appearing on T-shirts, earrings, and at least one tattoo?

A few hours after a fight erupted by a river in Alabama this month, images and video clips of the scuffle began ricocheting online. Then came the memes. After that, the merchandise was quick to appear.

On August 5, a group of white boaters attacked Dameion Pickett, a black riverboat captain, after he asked them to moor their pontoon elsewhere as the space was reserved for a larger vessel. A group of mostly black passers-by rushed to his defense. In the aftermath of the fight, a white folding chair - an unlikely weapon a man was seen brandishing above his head during the encounter - came across as a pleasant symbol but not much of resistance against a perceived racial assault.

On TikTok, #boatfight and #montgomerybrawl videos have accumulated tens of millions of views. Listings have popped up by the dozens on retailers like Redbubble, Etsy and eBay. Earrings, necklaces, mugs, T-shirts and window stickers have all been made with the Folding Chair image in recent weeks.

August 10 , four people were wanted. in connection with the fight had turned themselves in to the Montgomery Police Department. Reggie Ray, the man accused of using the chair during the altercation, was also charged with disorderly conduct.

Since then there has been a growing market for anything foldable. chairs. At least two online auctions advertising what would have been the white chair actually used in the brawl, one of which was listed for $35,000, abruptly ended 'because there was an error in the ad' , according to eBay. ="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For Tamika Hicks of Louisburg, North Carolina, however, the chair was more than a cash grab. Ms Hicks, 38, a full-time healthcare worker who also runs an Etsy craft shop, said she fell into the unusual cottage industry by accident, after initially making a pair of chair earrings folding for a friend after seeing the fight online. After a vigorous response to her Facebook post showing off the earrings, she saw an opportunity to generate more revenue. She said she received nearly 1,000 orders this month.

ImageTamika Hicks has said he received nearly 1,000 orders for folding chair earrings in the month after the fight in Montgomery, Alabama.Credit...Tamika Hicks

“People just don't understand the power of social media. media,” Ms. Hicks said. "Something that went viral brought...