The man who hit Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson in the face with a pie will remain behind bars, a judge ruled on Friday. “And I will say I picked a coconut cream pie because I knew there was a chance I might back out at the last minute and I personally really like coconut cream pie”.
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Guests at this year’s Seeds of Hope fundraising dinner hosted by Johnson were left stunned when Thompson revealed his alleged weapon: a coconut cream pie.
“He’s had a lot of opportunities to help a lot of people and he’s just ignored every one of them”, Thompson said. Despite that, the incident has created a swell of discussion across social media platforms where some feel Johnson overreacted while others have been cheering the mayor for reacting with his fists.
Instead, Thompson decried the mayor’s support for the downtown arena. But Johnson, a former National Basketball Association star and University of California at Berkeley alum, started swinging after he was struck with the pie, and tackled Thompson, who suffered some bruises and cuts and needed nine stitches, according to witness accounts. The protester then “yelled something at Johnson” before the mayor unleashed a flurry of punches, “landing as many as ten” on the crust catapulter.
Johnson’s signature achievement in office was getting a $550 million arena built for the Sacramento Kings, which Thompson said took attention away from other issues.
She said she was disappointed that Thompson’s bail amount was not reviewed Friday.
If McGraw’s report can be proven, White says, prosecutors could have a tough time going forward with the case, given Thompson’s contention that the beating started when he spoke to the mayor, not when he tossed his dessert. The police are describing Johnson has having been assaulted by the man throwing the pie. The event was taking place at a local high school, and reportedly Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson responded to the attack with an attack of his own.
Thompson has been identified as a former Sacramento City College student and Occupy Sacramento activist, though he wanted to be clear that his actions were not a product of any Occupy agenda.
Johnson is well-known for his efforts to revitalize Oak Park, a predominantly African-American neighborhood.
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Johnson, who had a long career as an NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has about two months left as mayor.
