Council critic accused of making racist threats files claims against LA

Los Angeles City Hall gadfly Wayne Spindler is seeking more than $750,000 in damages
following his arrest for allegedly threatening one of L.A.’s top politicians.
Spindler has filed two claims against the city following his arrest for submitting an
inflammatory public comment card at a council committee hearing on May 11. The
card included images of a burning cross, a person hanging from a tree and a Ku Klux
Klan-type figure holding a noose in one hand and a sign in the other that read “Herb
= ni----.” The comments were directed at Herb Wesson, the City Council’s first African-
American president.
Spindler, an Encino-based immigration attorney, declined comment. However, in an
interview with City News Service on Wednesday, he said accusations by public
officials that he is racist have hurt his law business and reputation.
• RELATED STORY: LA City Council president, community leaders call for hate-speech
investigation
“They branded me a racist and scared the hell out of the judges and clients,” Spindler
said, adding he can only sleep three hours each night because of stress.
Spindler alleges false arrest, violation of civil rights and illegal detention, among
other charges in the claims, which were submitted to the city on May 16.
The claims mark the first step in the lawsuit process. If the city doesn’t respond within
45 days, Spindler can file a lawsuit, said Rob Wilcox, spokesman for the Los Angeles
City Attorney’s Office.
If the city rejects Spindler’s claims, he has six months to file.
Spindler maintains the drawing on the comment card was “symbolic free speech” and
the noose represented ratepayers being “lynched” by a Department of Water and
Power hike.
Prosecutors are still deciding whether to file charges against him, said Jane Robison,
spokeswoman for the L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
His arrest last month came amid ongoing complaints by council members over what
they coined racist, sexist and derogatory comments directed their way during
meetings.
Inflammatory comments are generally protected under the First Amendment,
according to some attorneys, and City Hall’s efforts to thwart allegedly racist behavior
during public meetings has at times backfired.
• RELATED STORY: LA City Councilman Herb Wesson joins community leaders in
condemning hate speech against council
The city in 2014 paid $215,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Michael Hunt, an African-
American man who was tossed out of a city commission meeting for wearing a KKK-
like hooded outfit and a T-shirt with a racial slur on it.
Wesson’s office declined to comment Wednesday on Spindler’s claims.
The council president has an ongoing restraining order against Spindler.
Court documents show Spindler last month surrendered four guns, including an
AK-47, as a result of the restraining order.
As a general rule, a person slapped with a restraining order must give up his or her
weapons.