By Robert Kovacik and the City News Service -
NBC Los Angeles
Beleaguered city councilman Kevin de León and an activist exchanged assault allegations Friday night related to the councilman's appearance at a Christmas event in Lincoln Heights.
De León says his critics showed up at the event, which included families with children, and began chanting for his resignation.
The video shows the council member pushing someone in what appears to be a hallway, and the person almost falls to the ground.
De León says he decided to leave when the crowd started to get really loud, but says that as he was trying to leave, someone he claimed had been harassing him at previous events head-butted him and punched him in the face.
The man who was apparently pushed by de León, Jason Reedy, released a statement through his attorney Shakeer Rahman saying: “Kevin de León is a disgrace.
The video footage clearly shows that he and his followers initiate this assault while Mr. Reedy is face down.
Not only has Kevin de León lost all political legitimacy, his claims that he was the one attacked here simply underscores how he has lost touch with reality.”
Councilman Kevin de León was involved in a fight during a family holiday event in Lincoln Heights on December 9, 2022. Screenshot via NBC4
The video, taken by an activist from an organization that has called for the councilman's resignation, does not show what happened before or after the fight.
“He hit me, he hit me in the face and then he hit me a second time,” de León said.
“He missed it with that swing.
Jennifer, my chief of staff also arrived.
He nudged her, hit her in the face with his elbow.”
De León attended Friday's council meeting, but his appearance was brief as protesters immediately yelled at him to leave and he was no longer present after a recess of around 45 minutes.
De León had not attended a council meeting since Oct. 11.
He has defied widespread calls to resign over his involvement in a 2021 racist conversation with council members Gil Cedillo and Nury Martinez and a top county labor official that was leaked in October.
He is also facing a recall effort that is in the process of collecting signatures.
[Los Angeles Councilman Kevin de León says he has no intention of resigning after racist audio scandal]
Groups of protesters have regularly turned up at meetings demanding that de León and Cedillo resign before the city can carry out its activities.
De León entered the chamber during public comment and sat in his seat.
When audience members realized he was present, protesters yelled at him to leave as his supporters cheered.
De León stared at the commotion as he sat in his assigned council seat for the first time in nearly two months.
Council president Paul Krekorian immediately announced a recess and then approached de León for a spirited discussion, at one point pointing to the rowdy audience.
All the members left the room.
The collection of signatures begins to dismiss Kevin de León, one of the councilors of the racist scandal
Dec 7, 202201:13
The audience remained, with de León supporters chanting “Kevin” and protesters responding with chants of “racist.”
Krekorian said that if de León tried to return, other council members would leave the meeting.
Before de León arrived on camera, several of his supporters made public comments in his defense.
When Krekorian resumed the meeting, de León was no longer present in the chamber.
Krekorian did not immediately address the situation.
Councilman Mike Bonin, whose son was the target of racist comments during the leaked conversation, said on Twitter that he, along with councilmen Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Nithya Raman, left the meeting.
[Former councilor Nury Martínez, who made racist comments, resigned her seat]
Bonin called de León a "vile racist" who "needs to resign."
Later, while speaking against a motion that would report damage to the council chamber due to the protests, Bonin reiterated his call for de León to resign.
“The problem was in this room 45 minutes ago'' and not with the protesters, according to Bonin.
“The problem was with those tapes,” Bonin said.
“The problem is in this room.
The problem is when someone's ego refuses to get out of the way of their need for resignation.
The path of redemption begins with resignation, and that will end the protests.
Harris-Dawson added on Twitter: “Some people are ready to excuse CM de León's behaviour.
I do not."
The same day they announce an investigation into the racist recording and censor two Los Angeles council members
Oct 26, 2022
“Me neither,” said councilwoman-elect Eunisses Hernández, who will take office next week, taking over from Cedillo.
During the October 11 meeting, de León and Cedillo had to leave the chamber as protesters chanted.
Martinez resigned shortly after the leak.
The three council members have also been censured by their colleagues.
An ad hoc governance reform committee on Thursday began discussing the possible consequences for censored members, as the City Charter currently does not provide for any sanctions.
The council meets once more, on Tuesday, before its winter recess.
During several interviews after the leak of the recordings, de León stated that resigning would be the easy way out and that he wants to do the healing work with the communities he has hurt.