From the Los Angeles Times
Brown Goes From Crime Observer to Center Stage
By Lee Romney Times Staff Writer
March 9, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown has stumbled into an unlikely role in his city's crime drama after a woman charged that he grabbed her cellphone and crushed it as she shot video of him outside a nightclub.
The Alameda County district attorney's office is investigating the alleged incident, which occurred early Sunday and was reported to police by the woman, 26-year-old Ayesha Wilson of Manteca, near Stockton.
Latrenia Deconge, who was with Wilson, said she witnessed the confrontation with the mayor. "You can actually see his hand cover the phone" on the video, she said. "He squeezed it so hard that it cracked."
Deconge, who is African American like Wilson, said the mayor was rude and made comments they interpreted as racist.
Brown, who is facing Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, denied the allegations.
Oakland's recent surge in violent crime and shortage of police officers have become central issues in the attorney general's contest over the last week. Becoming a crime suspect, however fleetingly, is bad timing at best.
After the allegations were reported Wednesday in Bay Area newspapers, Brown spent the day evading TV cameras.
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