Does Oakland Councilmember Ken Houston have any regrets after flipping off his constituents during a recent meeting? It doesn’t seem like it. Five days after his obscene gesture went viral, Houston has still not apologized.
The District 8 representative says his actions were a reaction to a "racially charged environment.” Houston alleges that people inside the chamber were making derogatory remarks about his Latino heritage. However, those alleged comments are not audible in the publicly available video of the exchange.
Cat Brooks, founder and executive director of the Oakland-based Anti-Police Terror Project, also cast doubt on Houston’s rationale.
“During public comment, someone was pointing out the fact that only 20% of the councilmember’s district had voted, which meant only about 6,000 people had voted for him, and he apparently did not like that," Brooks told KTVU. "You’re an elected official. You’ve got to have some decorum. You’re a leader, which means you should be leading the way with how we engage with each other."
“I would like to see Ken stand up and take responsibility for his behavior," she added.
Watch the video here.