"You think we didn't notice you flipping off the audience from your seat just now?"
"If they want to take that finger as 'eff you,' then take it as 'eff you,' Houston said. "It is so incredible that people are gonna use that one thing of all the things I've done in my first year.""
During a contentious Oakland City Council meeting about Flock surveillance cameras, Councilmember Ken Houston appeared to rest his raised middle finger over his face, prompting audience members and online viewers to react. A public speaker on Zoom directly asked if Houston had been flipping off the audience; Houston looked surprised, amused, and then repeated the gesture. Houston said the gesture was unintentional and that he often rests his hand that way, but added he did not care if people interpreted it as an insult after hearing an anti-Latino slur directed at him. Houston, 61, founded the Beautification Council, was elected in November 2024, and cited hiring formerly incarcerated people, helping encampment residents into shelters, and promoting an Encampment Abatement Policy among his achievements.
Read at The Oaklandside
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