A man accused of making racially-charged threats against Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson is now threatening to sue the city, claiming false arrest and irreparable damage to his reputation.
Encino-based attorney Wayne Spindler is a familiar and eccentric presence at Los Angeles City Hall. But on May 11, his antics turned serious when he allegedly submitted comment cards depicting a burning cross and other hostile KKK imagery that included a racial slur. The cards were directed at Herb Wesson, the Council’s first African-American president. Wesson filed a restraining order and Spindler was arrested for making criminal threats against him.
Spindler says his actions were protected under the First Amendment. The image of the lynching, he claims, was symbolic commentary on the Department of Water and Power’s cheating of ratepayers, nothing more.
“They branded me a racist and scared the hell out of the judges and clients,” said Spindler, referring to the ill effects the arrest has had on his business. The stress has also taken away his ability to sleep, he added.
Of course, an image of a KKK member holding a noose does a pretty good job of branding one a racist on its own. Nevertheless, Spindler is now seeking $750,000 and says he’ll sue the city if he doesn’t get it.
City council members are used to hecklers, but threats have to be taken seriously. Public officials are even more on edge this week after one of the regular gadflies was able to bring a box cutter into a Public Safety Committee hearing Tuesday. Read more about that incident here.
Image Credit: Flickr User neontommy, https://flic.kr/p/fWZN5j via (CC BY-SA 2.0)