Embattled Los Angeles Councilor Caught Up in Fight Against Activist for Racism Scandal

Los Angeles City Council member Kevin de Leon was caught up in the Nury Martinez racism scandal.

The L.A. councilor just returned to his duties since the scandal first exploded last October, and he immediately gets caught up in another incident, this time getting into a physical fight against an activist.

The Los Angeles Times reported that de Leon appeared at a toy giveaway and holiday tree lighting at Lincoln Park when the confrontation between him and an activist named Jason Reedy happened.

Councilor de Leon stated that he was the one who was attacked, releasing a statement to the Los Angeles Times that he and his staff were "violently and physically assaulted by self-proclaimed activists at a community holiday event."

However, videos from the event surfaced and showed that the embattled councilor was the aggressor. Activists, including Jason Reedy, stood in front of the city council member. Reedy was reportedly holding his phone in front of de Leon's face when someone pushed him out of the way. It then showed de Leon going through the door and trying to close it, but Reedy followed, and the councilor tried to push him back. The two then stood nose-to-nose and then the altercation started.

The video showed the L.A. councilor grabbing the activist and throwing him into the table in an attempt to take Reedy out of the room.

Activist's Attorney Criticizes Los Angeles Councilor

Following the altercation, Reedy's attorney, Shakeer Rahman, released a statement, calling Councilor de Leon "a disgrace."

The lawyer said that the video footage showed that it was Kevin de Leon and his supporters who initiated the fight as his client was standing prone at that time. He added that de Leon has already lost all his political legitimacy and that his claims that he was the one who was attacked showed that he has "lost touch with reality."

However, Kevin de Leon's chief of staff, Jennifer Barraza, stated that the L.A. councilor is ready to press charges against Reedy and other activists. She also stated that he has released an updated statement that said it was Reedy's fault.

"I decided to try to exit the event to draw the disrupters away from the attending families and children and leave without further incident," his statement read.

He then claimed that Reedy and the other activists had already blocked all exits and were forced to push open a door in an effort to get out of the area. The councilor also claimed that Reedy launched a "pelvic thrust" and then headbutted the councilor.

Los Angeles Councilor Kevin de Leon and the Nury Martinez Racism Scandal

Disgraced former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez was recorded last October in a private conversation with several other Latino L.A. council members. The conversation had racist connotations as she talked ill of a white gay council member's adopted African American child, as well as spouting racist rhetoric about indigenous Mexicans from Oaxaca.

According to the Associated Press, one of the councilors recorded in that conversation was de Leon, who has since apologized for being caught up in that recording. However, he says that he will not be resigning from his position despite calls for him to do so. The calls for his resignation have since intensified when the physical altercation with the activist happened

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Video shows fight break out between Kevin de Leon, activists - FOX 11 Los Angeles