An activist who got into a scuffle with City Councilman Kevin de León during a holiday toy giveaway in Lincoln Heights at the height of calls for the councilman to resign has sued de León and the city, alleging he was physically assaulted and that the city failed to provide security at the event.
Jason Reedy, a vocal activist who often attends Los Angeles City Council meetings to oppose funding for the police, contends in his Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that de León “grabbed, pushed and hit” him at the Dec. 9 event in Lincoln Heights, where protesters gathered to again demand that de León resign for his participation in a recorded, racially charged conversation about council redistricting.
That conversation led to the resignation of then-Council President Nury Martinez.
Reedy’s lawsuit also accuses the city of failing to have security at the event and should have foreseen the possibility of protesters showing up to confront de León.
The city “failed to provide adequate security to prevent de León from physically attacking plaintiff,” according to the suit, which claims the city provided security including Los Angeles Police Department officers at other de León appearances.
The suit seeks unspecified damages, “including punitive damages.”
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, De León called Reedy is a hypocrite for being a vocal opponent of funding for the police, then suing over a lack of police presence at an event.
“This just shows the hypocrisy of these so-called activists that are seeking a quick dollar at the expense of taxpayers,” the councilman said.
Reedy’s attorney told the paper, “There’s no ask for money in this suit,” suggesting the case could be resolved with a de León apology.
De León has repeatedly denied assaulting Reedy at the event, accusing him of being the aggressor in the confrontation.
In August, the City Attorney’s Office declined to file any charges against de León or Reedy in connection with the altercation.
Reedy insisted at the time that he was assaulted and attacked by the councilman, but de León accused Reedy of assaulting “a woman on my staff, a community member and me.”
The scuffle occurred at Lincoln Park, where de León was attending a community Christmas event. At the time, the councilman was under intense pressure from some members of the public and his council colleagues to resign over his participation in the 2021 racially charged conversation that occurred at the offices of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
A group of activists, including Reedy, showed up at the Lincoln Park event to confront the councilman and continue their calls for him to step down. The group followed de León during the event, and as he walked inside a building at the event, the activists followed him.
Video from the event shows de León backed against a wall inside the room, with Reedy standing directly in front of him with his arms held straight in the air. Reedy puts his head against de León’s and appears to lightly bump heads with him twice before the councilman steps forward and grabs Reedy, forcing him onto a table.
Both men filed battery reports with the Los Angeles Police Department.
