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The L.A. City Councilmember — caught earlier this year in a national racist scandal — is on the run again after video surfaced of him fighting an activist.
The L.A. City Councilmember — caught earlier this year in a national racist scandal — is on the run again after video surfaced of him fighting an activist. Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Kevin de León goes down swinging

The L.A. City Councilmember — caught earlier this year in a national racist scandal — is on the run again after video surfaced of him fighting an activist.

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Kevin de León does not do himself any favors. 

On Friday, Dec. 9, the disgraced Los Angeles City Councilmember — who was part of the national racist scandal that caused mayhem in the city and country — was caught on video brawling with a community activist, and Black Lives Matter L.A. member identified as Jason Reedy, at a holiday event in Lincoln Park. 

Since the scandal from this past October that flipped his life and career — because he refuses to step down from his position — De León has made rare public appearances, becoming a fugitive in his own city — and deservedly so. 

He now finds himself in another embarrassing and shameful situation as part of a melee that ensued as he donned a Santa Claus hat during a Christmas event. 

Earlier that Friday, De León had tried to come out of exile by attending his first City Council meeting in over two months, but it only ended in a shouting match and a forced recess. Protesters, including Reedy, were present at City Hall and cursed at the councilmember and shouted at his supporters. 

The council went into recess as Los Angeles Police Department officers came in to try to restore calm. When the meeting resumed, de León was nowhere to be found and critics further denounced him, but there was still a long night still ahead of him — he just didn’t know it yet. 

Later that evening, de León made another rather rare public appearance at a Christmas and tree-lighting event at Lincoln Park, near the Ramona Gardens and Lincoln Heights neighborhoods of Los Angeles. 

Playing the role of Santa Claus for the night, the councilmember was handing out gifts to children when protestors from earlier that day at the Council meeting showed up and once again went at de León, calling him a racist and calling for his resignation —something that he has refused to do despite calls from even President Joe Biden himself. 

Cellphone cameras were rolling as it showed some of the protestors, including Reedy, as they followed the councilmember around the room where the event was taking place and at which point, Reedy got in de León’s face. That face-to-face confrontation headed into a small hallway that led out of the room, when all hell broke loose. 

In an initial video released on Twitter by Roots Action and J-Town Action, it shows de León pushing Reedy and pinning him on a table as the councilmember’s Santa hat falls off in a show of holiday spirit amid madness. 

As for why de León retaliated in such a violent manner, he claims Reedy headbutted him which set off what he considered to be self-defense, with Reedy’s attorney telling the media his client was assaulted.

A longer video that shows the leadup to the altercation has been released and spread throughout social media with one being posted by the L.A. chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter. 

That video shows De León trying to walk away from the protesters and attempting to close a door behind him. Protesters were able to push through the doorway with Reedy getting up into the face of the councilmember with phone in hand. 

The melee then broke out as de León pushed Reedy onto the table and then onto the floor and near an exit door where police later said though not captured on any videos, the brawl continued outside. 

Neither party has accepted any wrongdoing with blame going both ways. The two have filed federal battery charges against each other as a result of this holiday brawl. 

Reedy’s attorney, Shakeer Rahman, told CNN that de León initiated the fight. 

“Video footage clearly shows him and his supporters initiating this assault while Mr Reedy stands with his hands up. Not only has Kevin de León lost all political legitimacy, his claims that he was the one attacked here simply underscores how he’s lost touch with reality,” Rahman said. 

While de León is claiming self defense, saying Reedy headbutted him which prompted his violent response. 

“I decided to try to exit the event to draw the disrupters away from the attending families and children and leave without further incident,” de León said in the statement. “Still, we discovered Reedy and others had blocked all available exits. 

“Once we were able to push open a door and try to get out, Reedy launched a pelvic thrust, followed by a headbutt to my forehead. My response, in defense of myself, was to push him off of me. In the ensuing struggle, Reedy struck me in the face with a closed fist, violently elbowed a female staff member, and injured a volunteer in front of horrified parents and children,” de León continued.

De León had himself a terrible Friday night and is facing an even harsher and uncertain future. While he still holds his position in City Council, the disgraced politician is now possibly facing even more backlash than when he did with the racism scandal, as he can now add fighting a Black activist to his list of wrongdoings for the year. 

No arrests have been made as of yet as police are still investigating. 

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