Conflict At Holiday Party Involves LA Councilman Kevin De Leon Embroiled In Racist Tape Incident: Police are now looking into a Los Angeles City Councilman after a video surfaced that allegedly shows him fighting a community activist at a holiday event. The councilman had previously refused to step down over a leaked audio recording of him taking part in a meeting where racist remarks were made about his colleagues.
According to a statement made by the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday, Councilmember Kevin de León was seen on camera Friday night getting into a physical altercation in front of parents and kids at a toy giveaway and Christmas tree lighting event in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Police were called to the event to put an end to the violence.
In a video obtained by ABC Los Angeles station KABC, de León can be seen leaving the event while being challenged by a group of activists who label him a racist and appear to be attempting to block his way. He is wearing a red and white Santa Claus cap. One of the activists, Jason Reedy, is seen face-to-face with de León in the social media video before the councilman pushes him onto a table and grabs his jacket, pulling him out of the view of the camera.
De León said he was defending himself after the incident, claiming Reedy had headbutted him. According to the LAPD, after De León accused Reedy of battery, Reedy responded by accusing De León of battery as well.
According to the LAPD, the event is being investigated and nobody has been detained.
“Kevin de Leon is an embarrassment. While Mr. Reedy stands with his hands up, the video clearly captures him and his followers starting this assault “The statement was made by Reedy’s attorney. “Kevin de León has lost all political legitimacy and his assertions that he was the one targeted here just show how out of touch he is with reality,” says a friend.
De León claims Reedy is a member of “a group of so-called “activists” who have been harassing him and his staff for more than a year, according to a statement he released.
During a holiday event on Friday night, he claimed the group “cornered and physically assaulted me, a staff member, and a volunteer.”
He said that when Reedy and other group members began shouting profanities and interrupting the holiday gathering, he tried to leave in order to “pull the disrupters away from the attending families and children,” but the activists blocked all the exit doors.
De León claimed that after they managed to force open a door and attempt to escape, “Reedy unleashed a pelvic thrust, followed by a headbutt to my forehead.” “I pushed him away from me in retaliation to protect myself. In the subsequent confrontation, in front of shocked parents and kids, Reedy hurt a volunteer, viciously elbowed a female staff member, and struck me in the face with a closed fist.”
In spite of the public outcry, a member of the LA Council insists he will not step down.
Earlier on Friday, de León attended a city council meeting for the first time since being involved in the controversy over the private meeting he attended in October 2021 with Gil Cedillo, another Latino council member, and then-City Council President Nury Martinez.
Martinez is accused of making racist remarks about her colleagues and the Black son of white councilmember Mike Bonin in the meeting audio that was leaked earlier this year as a means of maintaining their control.
The appearance of de León was jeered by those present at the council meeting on Friday, and Bonin quickly stood up and left the room. De León left the conference after a break was requested due to the ruckus.
De León claimed that he made an effort to show up at the meeting in order to speak for his constituents.
After the agitators’ outburst, de León said, “I stayed outside the room to give the council president the chance to recover control of the meeting and enable public comment to continue since so many of those present were my constituents.” However, neither of those things occurred.
The boisterous meeting continued despite de León’s departure. As opposed to this, departing City Councilmember Paul Koretz used his goodbye speech to criticize demonstrators, claiming they “have done their best to make it difficult for us to accomplish our work in the last 212 years.”
“I give up the remainder of my time, in their own words. F*** you, “said Koretz.
Although no racial remarks were made by de León, Cedillo, or Martinez on the recording that was leaked, calls for their resignation from the municipal council have gotten louder. In October, Martinez resigned from the council after apologizing for her remarks.
Despite requests for them to do so from California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden, De León and Cedillo have refused to leave the council.
On October 26, the city council decided to publicly censure the three council members by a vote of 12-0.
