OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — A physical altercation between a homeless advocate and someone protecting an Oakland city councilmember is now under investigation by police. KRON4 got both sides of the story from the alleged victim and the councilmember.
Video (above) shows the tail end of what Oakland police describe as an assault. Vincent Williams III, who is the founder of the Urban Compassion Project, says he is the victim in this video
“He punched me in my face,” Williams said. “My glasses went flying off. He slammed me to the ground, continued to punch me. At one point, he just grabbed my head and started smashing it into the concrete.”
It happened on Feb. 14 just after 8:30 am near 34th Street and Peralta Street in West Oakland. Williams says he was there doing some outreach at an encampment of unhoused residents. At the same time that Oakland city councilmember Carroll Fife and the city of Oakland were closing the encampment, he says he approached the councilmember yelling his disapproval
“I told Carroll this is your fault because you have these advocates out here working for you and they’re lying to people. While we are having this back-and-forth, Tur-Ha Ak comes barrels into the conversation and pushes me back. He’s yelling the whole time you need to back up. You’re trying to assault her and I am not trying to do any of that.”
However, councilmember Fife says she felt threatened and concerned for her physical safety.
“I am well within my right, as with every human being to be safe,” Fife said. “We all deserve to be safe. And if someone is choosing to take that safety from you, then the law says you are well within your right to defend yourself.”
In this case, Fife’s close friend, Tur-Ha Ak did the defending. This incident comes on the heels of last week’s press conference at city hall where Fife, flanked by mayor Sheng Thao and others, asked for help in dealing with voicemail messages and emails threatening to harm her and female politicians.
“I can take all of the profanity and whatever, but when you come in my face and you’re yelling at me and then you’re aggressing towards me, that’s a completely different situation that no one should have to endure,” Fife said.
The day after the incident, Fife tweeted, “Aggression and harassment masquerading as free speech is a justification for violence. Know the difference.”
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Some see this as the councilmember justifying violence, but she says no.
“I am saying that my opposition is using free speech as a justification of their harassment of me,” Fife said.
Williams says he was hospitalized later that night as a result of injuries he suffered during the incident. Oakland police officials say their officers were on the scene during the assault and immediately intervened and that the responsible individual was cited and released. The investigation is ongoing.
