The Weekly Rant: Kevin de Leon Fights an Activist, Then Cries About It

Embattled L.A.City Councilmember Kevin de León and an activist physically fought earlier this week following a confrontation at a public event. In true crybaby form, de León has since reclaimed his status as a forever-victim and has started up with more of his divisive rhetoric.

“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” —Edmund Blake, speech, “On the Middlesex Election,” 1771

During a community Christmas event for children and families, councilmember Kevin de León and activist Jason Reedy fought when Reedy began to pursue de Leon and pepper him with questions about his position on the city council while calling for him to resign.

The two men have now filed assault charges against each other, prompting the LAPD to launch an investigation. In an interview, de León claimed that he was the victim in the altercation and acted purely out of self-defense.

“When [Reedy] headbutted me is when I grabbed him,” de Leon said. “And When I grabbed him, I put him on the table and I held him on the table there for maybe five to 10 seconds. Then at that moment I let him go.”

However, watch the altercation a few times and you’ll have a lot of trouble finding this supposed headbutt. You’ll also see how off the mark de León is about what happened. He had Reedy pinned down for about two seconds, not five to 10. He also didn’t let Reedy go as he claimed. Instead, as Reedy tries to get off of the table — under de León’s restraint — de León grabs him by the arm and shoves him toward a door.

When the dust settled, de León — in true Donald Trump-like fashion — released a hate-laden statement full of innuendo, accusations and contradictions to his previous claims about the fight.

Also, it would have been very hard for Reedy to headbutt de León, considering that at the 28 second mark of the video, you can see what appears to be de León’s hands rise up and latch onto the side of Reedy’s head. He then pushes Reedy onto a table — rather aggressively.

When the dust settled, de León — in true Donald Trump-like fashion — released a hate-laden statement full of innuendo, accusations and contradictions to his previous claims about the fight.

In it, he calls Reedy and his colleagues “so-called activists” and refers to Reedy’s associates as “accomplices,” a word typically reserved for criminals. He asserts that the activists have been “harassing [his] staff and [him] for more than a year.” He then claims that not only was he assaulted but also “a staff member, and a volunteer,” all of which he goes on to say happened in front of “horrified parents and children.” To hear de León tell it, Reedy and his cohorts went on a rampage of assault, terrorizing everyone in their wake. 

Later in the statement, de León changes his story from Reedy headbutting him, to Reedy giving him a pelvis thrust and then headbutting him.

Now let’s unpack this tripe and sift out the bullshit. 

As if his use of trigger words weren’t enough, he wraps the letter with every politician’s favorite phrase when they’re cornered: “political rhetoric.”

He starts off with his dig about “so-called activists.” When I read this statement, I heard a valley girl saying it. “My so-called friend. This so-called food. My so-called teenage angst.” Petty. Juvenile. Aside from his infantile behavior, he’s just plain wrong.

Merriam-Webster defines activist as “a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” That sounds to me like what Reedy was doing on Saturday, and it sounds like what Reedy and his colleagues have been doing for a while. I guess for de León, the real activists are the ones who kiss on his ass and the so-called ones are the ones who won’t. 

How convenient for de León.

Then there’s the selection of graphic and emotionally-stirring words throughout the letter: “violently elbowed,” “accomplices,” “horrified … children.” As if his use of trigger words weren’t enough, he wraps the letter with every politician’s favorite phrase when they’re cornered: “political rhetoric.”

During the majority of the recorded altercation, Reedy’s hands are raised up over his head. He’s making it very clear he intends no violence with his body language, even after one of de León’s associates very forcibly pushes him out of de León’s way mere seconds before the altercation. 

De León’s claim that the altercation happened in front of spectators — including children — is just a damn lie. The video clearly shows them go through doors into a hallway that leads away from the area where the spectators were before the fight. The fight then appears to move even further away from the spectators area before it cuts out. 

Anyone with a clear head and a rudimentary understanding of first grade logic can see this desperate liar has reached the end of his political rope and is now using it to hang himself. 

Anyone with a clear head and a rudimentary understanding of first grade logic can see this desperate liar has reached the end of his political rope and is now using it to hang himself. 

This sentiment harmonizes with the response to the claims of assault made by Reedy’s attorney Shakeer Rahman.

“Video footage clearly shows him and his supporters initiating this assault while Mr. Reedy stands with his hands up,” Rahman wrote. “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.”