A well-connected San Francisco activist turned political candidate is going through an allegation that he groped an acquaintance at a celebration in 2020.
Manny Yekutiel, a restaurant proprietor who’s hosted high Dems like Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and former First Woman Jill Biden at his Mission District hotspot Manny’s Cafe, is going through the upsetting sexual assault declare as he campaigns to symbolize the famed Castro neighborhood on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Brad Chapin, a metropolis gardener, alleged that Yekutiel overtly accosted him at a home occasion in 2020 — grabbing his testicles earlier than insulting his physique in claims first detailed by the San Francisco Commonplace.
Chapin alleged {that a} “sweating” Yekutiel approached him at a February 2020 occasion and painfully clenched his genitals “like an animal,” based on the report.
“He grabbed me, and I used to be making an attempt to get away. He wouldn’t let me go,” Chapin informed The Commonplace. “He caught certainly one of his palms down my pants and grabbed me and was squeezing me and deliberately inflicting ache.
“It was weird. He actually had me by the testicles. It was deliberately sexually demeaning,” he added.
Chapin, additionally a progressive political activist, reportedly informed pals in regards to the alleged incident after the occasion and filed a police report in April — even sporting a police-issued recording system whereas confronting Yekutiel in regards to the alleged assault, in accordance to the San Francisco Chronicle.
That confrontation didn’t produce any helpful proof, as Yekutiel denied the incident — and the investigation was marked “inactive,” the paper reported.
Textual content messages Chapin despatched to pals in regards to the alleged incident had been reviewed by the Chronicle and Commonplace.
Yekutiel, a Los Angeles native, gained fame as an influential Democratic organizer identified for internet hosting political and civic discussions, telephone banks, watch events and different group occasions at his common cafe.
The cafe turned an important cease for rising Democrats to assist elevate cash and rally assist within the progressive stronghold of San Francisco.
Yekutiel’s bid to symbolize the Castro neighborhood racked up a protracted record of endorsements from main Dems like Sen. Cory Booker, Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis, Assemblymembers Matt Haney and Catherine Stefani, and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
However a handful of these supporters, together with Lawyer Normal Rob Bonta, Supervisor Myrna Melgar and Rep. Lateefah Simon, rescinded their endorsements after Chapin’s allegation, The Commonplace reported.
“I take these allegations critically, and I’ve mentioned on to the one who made them that he deserves to be heard. However I do know what’s true for me: I didn’t do that,” Yekutiel informed The Publish in a textual content.
“The police investigated and closed the matter with out pursuing it additional,” he added.
“I’ve gone out, I’ve partied, and I’ve been a part of the town’s queer nightlife scene, however I’ve at all times tried to respect folks’s boundaries and deal with folks with respect as greatest I can,” Yekutiel additional acknowledged in a social media video posted Monday afternoon.
He alleged the general public accusation was supposed to “assassinate” his character.
“What I’ll say is campaigns can get ugly, and I feel that’s a part of what’s occurring right here,” Yekutiel wrote within the textual content message.
The aspiring pol is operating towards Gary McCoy, a public well being advocate and former high aide to Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Catie Stewart, McCoy’s spokesperson, referred to as any suggestion that his marketing campaign had any position in Chapin coming ahead “completely false” and insulting to survivors of sexual assault.
“The reality is that Brad’s bravery in coming ahead is exceptional, and Gary stands with him and believes him,” Stewart mentioned.
