"City Councilmember Ken Houston says he doesn't "give a rip" if people are upset he made an obscene hand gesture during a meeting this week involving a controversial $2 million city contract. The viral moment - in which Houston appeared to raise a middle finger toward the public - came as the council took heat from hundreds of attendees at the Dec. 16 meeting who unsuccessfully urged the council to reject the deal, given to a software company with previous links to federal immigration authorities."
"In that moment recorded on video, Houston said, he thought he heard someone whispering a racial slur against Mexican people. The council member was born to a Mexican father and raised by a Black single mother in East Oakland, near the city's borders with San Leandro and Alameda. The latest incident reflects Houston's general mantra: don't back down. In his first year on the council, he has exhibited little patience for what he describes as elitist behavior by those without lived experience in his community."
Councilmember Ken Houston made an obscene hand gesture during a Dec. 16 meeting over a controversial $2 million contract. Hundreds of attendees urged rejection of the deal because the software company had previous links to federal immigration authorities. The council reversed an earlier rejection and approved the new contract 7-1 with financial penalties if sanctuary policies were violated. Houston said he thought he heard someone whispering a racial slur and cited his Mexican father and upbringing in East Oakland. Houston emphasizes a don't-back-down mantra and has shown little patience for what he calls elitist behavior by those without lived experience. Officials faced criticism for bypassing ordinary procedures.
Read at The Mercury News
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