LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles Town Council member embroiled in a scandal over racist remarks and an activist fought at a Friday evening vacation match.
The activist and Kevin de León were given into an altercation at a toy giveaway and vacation tree lights at Lincoln Park, the Los Angeles Occasions reported.
Previous on Friday, de León attended his first Town Council assembly in just about two months following a scandal that erupted after a recording surfaced in October of former council President Nury Martinez, outgoing Councilman Gil Cedillo, de León and a exertions union chief taking part in a closed-door assembly by which racist language was once used to mock colleagues whilst the contributors schemed to give protection to Latino political power in council districts.
Martinez resigned. Cedillo misplaced a June election and his final day in workplace is Monday. De León has apologized and mentioned he has no plans to surrender.
De León mentioned in a observation to the newspaper that he was once assaulted Friday evening, whilst activists mentioned the council member was once the aggressor.
The Occasions reported two native activist organizations, RootsAction and J-TOWN Motion and Unity, posted a video on Twitter appearing a portion of the incident between De León and a person recognized as Jason Reedy, a Folks’s Town Council organizer.
De León’s workplace mentioned Reedy and different activists had been at fault. De León spokesperson Pete Brown mentioned the council member was once head-butted by way of Reedy, a member of his personnel was once elbowed within the face and a volunteer was once punched within the arm, the Occasions reported.
De León’s observation to the Occasions mentioned they had been “violently and bodily assaulted by way of self-proclaimed activists at a group vacation match to the dismay of a large number of households and youngsters who had been there to have fun a Christmas tree lights and to obtain toys and meals.”
“The escalating rhetoric is hitting a fever pitch, transcending from verbal threats into precise acts of violence and will have to finish sooner than extra critical hurt or lack of existence happens,” the observation mentioned. “Violence isn’t loose speech and has no position in politics or democracy.”
Shakeer Rahman, an lawyer representing Reedy, known as de León “a shame” in a observation to the Occasions Friday evening.
“Video pictures obviously displays him and his supporters beginning this attack whilst Mr. Reedy stands susceptible,” Rahman mentioned. “Now not simplest has Kevin de León misplaced all political legitimacy, his claims that he was once the only attacked right here merely underscores how he’s misplaced contact with fact.”