Claim alleges Oakland Councilwoman Brooks has history of assaulting people
(AP)
OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - An amended claim by former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown against the City of Oakland and Councilwoman Desley Brooks alleging that Brooks assaulted Brown at a restaurant in downtown Oakland says that Brooks has a history of assaulting people.
In her amended claim, Brown, 72, seeks $1 million from the city and $6 million from Brooks, 54, for an incident at the Everett & Jones Barbeque restaurant near Jack London Square at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 in which she alleges that Brooks punched her in the chest with two fists.
Brown alleges in the claim filed by Sausalito attorney Charles Bonner that Brooks' punch sent her crashing "backwards head over heals over a stack of folding chairs" and she landed hard, hitting the back of her head on a chair.
Brown, who filed her initial claim last month, says she is suffering from "severe, permanent and debilitating" injuries to her head, neck and shoulders and suffers from post-concussive syndrome, which includes symptoms such as dizziness, poor memory and concentration and sleep disturbance.
The claim, which is a precursor to a possible lawsuit, alleges that the city of Oakland knew or should have known that Brooks "has a propensity for assaulting behavior toward people with whom she has political disagreements."
It says Brooks "has struck, hit, pushed and assaulted and battered people" before the incident with Brown and in the 13 years Brooks has been on the city council the city "has witnessed her rage and assaultive behavior and has failed to take remedial action to protect citizens by effectively disciplining defendant Brooks."
Reached by phone late today, Brooks declined to comment on the claim by Brown, who headed the Black Panther Party from 1974 to 1977 and now serves as an aide to Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson.
Brooks also served as an aide to Carson before she was elected to the City Council in 2002.
Brown filed a report about the incident with the Oakland Police Department but police are still investigating the matter.
Last year Carson and Brown co-founded Oakland and the World Enterprises Inc., which is seeking to transform a vacant West Oakland lot near the BART tracks into an urban farm and high-rise housing development employing former inmates.
In her complaint, Brown said she went to Everett & Jones early in the evening of Oct. 30 to celebrate the filing of an application for $2.1 million in public funding for 60 units of affordable housing as part of the West Oakland project.
But Brown said Brooks, who also was at the restaurant, "launched into a venomously aggressive monologue and tirade," saying that she would use her status as a council member to have the application withdrawn because "it is of no benefit to black people!"
Bonner said today that Brown responded by telling Brooks that the project is important because it will provide services to all disadvantaged people in Oakland, not just black people.
Bonner said Brooks and Brown discussed the matter for several minutes but Brooks then "went way over the line" by punching Brown even though Brown is 18 years older.
Brown's claim alleges that Brooks is "a monster created by the city's lack of administrative controls, poor ethical standards, and absurd, race-based political environment that lets her survive."
The claim says Brooks is a seasoned attorney and former prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice's immigration and naturalization division who should know that attacking people age 65 or older is elder abuse.
Bonner said Brooks' conduct "is not tolerated in our society and has to be deterred."
Brown's claim seeks $1 million from the City of Oakland and $3 million in general damages plus $3 million in punitive damages from Brooks.