Latest news with #WillieBrown
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Chicago, Waukegan men charged with burglarizing work van, fleeing police in Wilmette
Two men were charged after burglarizing a work van and attempting to escape from police in Wilmette this week. Dalvin D. Johnson, 31, of Waukegan, and Willie E. Brown, 36, of Chicago, were charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, felony theft, and resisting arrest. Brown was also charged with aggravated fleeing/eluding. Wilmette police said just before noon on Wednesday, officers responded to the 1900 block of Washington Avenue for a burglary in progress to a work van with tools being taken from the vehicle. The burglars [Johnson and Brown] then left the scene in a silver 2023 Nissan Rogue. Officers found their vehicle as it entered onto the southbound I-94 ramp from Westbound Lake Avenue. As the Nissan accelerated, it lost control and crashed into the entry ramp. Police said Johnson and Brown then exited the vehicle and ran across the expressway. They were then found hiding in the trees along Eden's northbound off-ramp. Both were taken into custody without incident. The tools stolen from the work van were recovered from the Nissan. Fire crews took one of the men to Skokie Hospital for injuries he suffered in the crash. He was treated and released into custody. It's unclear which of the men was taken. Johnson and Brown were processed and released. Both are expected to appear in court on Friday.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Nate Holden, L.A. Democrat With a Cameo in 2024 Presidential Race, Dies at 95
Nate Holden, a Democrat known for his bombast and populist politics, who served on the Los Angeles City Council for 16 years and had a cameo in the 2024 presidential race, when Donald J. Trump confused him with another Black California official, Willie Brown, died on Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 95. His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by his son Christopher, a former State Assembly member and Pasadena mayor. Mr. Trump told reporters in August about taking a near-fatal helicopter trip with Mr. Brown, the former San Francisco mayor, during which he claimed Mr. Brown told him 'terrible things' about Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Mr. Brown vehemently denied having been on such a flight. It turned out that Mr. Trump's passenger very likely was Mr. Holden, who told reporters that around 1990 he and Mr. Trump had flown in a helicopter headed to Atlantic City, when mechanical problems forced an emergency landing. In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Holden said he had telephoned Mr. Brown when he heard Mr. Trump make the claim. 'I said, 'Willie, you know what? That's me!'' he recalled. 'And I told him, 'You're a short Black guy, and I'm a tall Black guy — but we all look alike, right?'' Mr. Holden's outspokenness was typical of a long career in Los Angeles politics during which he was known for his attention-getting antics and clashes with fellow Democrats, as well as for delivering services to economically struggling South Los Angeles. He served one term in the State Senate and four on the City Council. He unsuccessfully sought higher office, losing multiple races for Congress and Los Angeles mayor. Mr. Holden was drawn to the limelight and to controversies. During his 1989 run for mayor, challenging a popular incumbent, Tom Bradley, he offered to buy assault rifles off the street for $300 each, using campaign funds. The then-novel buyback plan won him national attention. A decade later, while running for a final term on the City Council, he claimed that Mr. Bradley had endorsed him on his deathbed the previous year. A daughter of Mr. Bradley's and former Bradley aides expressed skepticism, as the two men had been bitter foes. Mr. Holden represented the predominantly Black 10th district, a South Los Angeles seat that Mr. Bradley himself had held when he was elected the city's first Black councilman in 1963. Mr. Holden won the seat when he defeated Mr. Bradley's handpicked candidate in 1987. He earned the loyalty of constituents by fighting to fix potholes, paint over graffiti and increase police foot patrols. He berated city managers in public and followed street sweepers to make sure they did their jobs. At the same time, he was combative in council meetings and often the lone opponent of popular measures. In 2002, his was the only vote opposing William J. Bratton as police chief, which his colleagues viewed as grandstanding. When Mr. Holden stepped down in 2003 because of term limits, a columnist for The Los Angeles Times, Patt Morrison, wrote that the city had lost 'a 16-year franchise on outrageousness, showboating and chutzpah.' Nathan Nathaniel Holden was born on July 19, 1929, in Macon, Ga. His father, James Holden, was a brakeman on a railroad. His parents separated when Nate was 10, and he moved with his mother, Hilda Holden, to Elizabeth, N.J. In 1946, he lied about his age — he was 16 — so he could join the Army. After World War II, he served in the military police in Europe. When he returned to the United States, he studied engineering at night school and was hired by Hughes Aircraft Company in Southern California; he worked in the aerospace industry for nearly two decades. After twice losing races for Congress, he was elected to the California State Senate in 1974. But rather than seeking re-election to a second term, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress once again in 1978. Mr. Holden's marriage to Fannie Louise (Mays) Holden ended in divorce. She died in 2013. In addition to his son Christopher, he is survived by another son, Reginald; a daughter, Melissa Hill; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Mr. Holden was in his living room last year, watching a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, when a reporter asked Mr. Trump a leading question about whether Willie Brown, the prominent California Democrat, had boosted Ms. Harris's political career. (The two had dated in the mid-1990s.) 'Well, I know Willie Brown very well,' Mr. Trump responded. 'In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him.' An astonished Mr. Holden called Mr. Brown to ask if they had both taken near-fatal helicopter flights with Mr. Trump, and Mr. Brown said he had never done so. But Mr. Trump later doubled down, saying he had 'flight records' for the trip and threatening to sue The Times for reporting that Mr. Brown had not been on board. Then Mr. Holden publicly surfaced. He said that, years ago, he had been in New York meeting with Mr. Trump about plans to redevelop a hotel in Los Angeles. Mr. Trump wanted to show him one of his Atlantic City casinos, but the helicopter soon got into trouble. As the crew worked frantically to land safely, Mr. Holden told The Times, he was thinking of a widely reported 1989 helicopter crash that had killed three executives working for Mr. Trump. 'I just thought, how the hell do you let your staff not maintain your aircraft after you just had a crash that killed some of your staff?' he said. 'How could you let this happen again?' The helicopter he and Mr. Trump were in eventually landed safely in Linden, N.J., Mr. Holden said.
New York Times
23-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
For Sale: Pieces of Willie Brown's Style
In January 1996, the newly sworn-in mayor of San Francisco noticed something wrong at City Hall. One of his aides was wearing a linen suit in the winter. The mayor, shocked, sent him home to change immediately. The moral of the story: Abide by the fashion calendar. And style matters a great deal to Willie Brown. Mr. Brown, who served as mayor of San Francisco from 1996 to 2004, is one of the sharpest dressed political figures in California. The handkerchief peeks out of his Baldini suit pocket at just the right angle, and is just the right color. And he once raced a Municipal Railway streetcar on Market Street to disprove an article that said pedestrians were faster than the train service — all while wearing a suit, wingtips and a wide-brimmed Panama hat. At the age of 91, Mr. Brown has opened his closet. His green Gucci high-top sneakers? Yours for $105.50. His ivory Kiton cashmere crew-neck sweater? $36. About 50 items Mr. Brown used to wear — shoes, track suits, T-shirts, sweaters, jackets — are being sold at an online auction sponsored by Goodwill, the nonprofit retailer. Once a year, Mr. Brown would get rid of a few old items in his closet and donate them anonymously to Goodwill thrift stores. Goodwill San Francisco Bay decided to create the Willie Brown Collection on eBay and auction his clothes and shoes to the highest bidders. 'If I don't wear it for a year, it automatically goes to Goodwill,' Mr. Brown said in an interview. Mr. Brown is one of the few politicians, retired or otherwise, whose closet would be considered stylish enough to raid. He has stood out in the world of politics, where rolled sleeves, open collars, khakis and blue blazers are the height of men's fashion. He viewed stylistic gusto and politics as going hand-in-hand to inspire public confidence. And he hated casual Fridays at City Hall. 'Most of us took it as a point of pride that this is how you prepare yourself for work,' said P.J. Johnston, Mr. Brown's former press secretary. 'You look the part. You need to instill a sense of confidence and propriety in the public that you serve, and part of that is being dressed appropriately.' Mr. Johnston appears to have learned a lot from his former boss, fashion-wise. He's the aide who was sent home for the linen-in-winter mishap in 1996. Mr. Brown, who has put some of his clothes up for auction in years past, said good fashion comes down to two things: the fabric and the fit. He was 17 when his mother sent him from his hometown of Mineola, Texas, to live with an uncle in San Francisco, who dressed, he recalled, like 'people from Harlem in movies.' Mr. Brown added: 'And he took me down on the first or second day, and I got my first blue serge suit with a white shirt and a yellow tie. And believe me, I went to church that next Sunday, and everybody wanted to know where that came from.' Mr. Brown is an outspoken Democrat. Last year, he threatened to sue Donald J. Trump for slander and defamation, after Mr. Trump falsely claimed that he had once nearly died in a helicopter ride with Mr. Brown and that Mr. Brown had said disparaging things on that ride about Kamala Harris, whom Mr. Brown had once dated. Both claims were false, Mr. Brown said. Only a few items up for grabs in this year's auction veer anywhere close to politics. One of those is a navy blue T-shirt for $14.99, with a logo that reads, 'Willie Brown for President 2024.' It had zero bids as of Sunday morning. Other clothes Mr. Brown used to wear seemed to attract more interest. On Sunday, the green Gucci high-tops had 12 bids. The Kiton crew-neck sweater had 10 bids. The most expensive item, a brown Burberry reversible jacket, at $167.50, had 18 bids. The items in the online auction were freshly plucked from Mr. Brown's closet. Missing from the collection are many of Mr. Brown's more expensive and extravagant suits and apparel. There are none of his trademark fedoras up for grabs, for example. The former mayor seems to have strictly curated what qualified as a giveaway and what qualified as a don't-giveaway. He had already donated a black striped suit for the auction when he turned on the television and saw the Rev. Al Sharpton looking sharp wearing a similar one. 'Like he had already bought my suit at Goodwill,' Mr. Brown said. He realized he wanted his suit back — and asked Goodwill to return it, after telling the retailer it wasn't his. The suit's now back in his closet.
Axios
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
5 people making Black history in San Francisco
Black History Month often makes us think about influential figures from the past that have helped shape American and San Francisco history. Yes, but: February isn't just a time to reflect on the past. State of play: Some of San Francisco's most notable African Americans are still with us, including Willie Brown, who became the city's first Black mayor in 1995, London Breed, who was the first Black woman to be elected mayor, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was the city's first Black district attorney. Danny Glover, an actor and social justice advocate who participated in the 1968 student-led strike at San Francisco State University that resulted in the creation of the nation's first Black Studies program, is also known for helping produce " The Last Black Man in San Francisco." Others are no longer with us, including Terry Francois, an attorney who became the first Black member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Enola Maxwell, a minister and community leader and Mary Ellen Pleasant, a self-made millionaire and leading civil rights activist during the Gold Rush era. The latest: Here are five San Franciscans shaping Black history in the Bay Area today. Paméla Tate She is the co-executive director of operations and education at the nonprofit Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence, which offers a safe space to Black women who are survivors of domestic abuse and their families. The San Francisco native and mother of three is most passionate about breaking the cycle of violence by providing education and support. What she's saying: The death of one of her friends' nieces, who was killed by her husband, has "helped guide her work" and raise awareness of how prevalent abuse within the community can be, she said. Fred Blackwell He is CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, an organization focused on advancing economic opportunities for people of color, low-income groups and disadvantaged youth. At the foundation, he has advocated for more financial investment in Black-led businesses and community organizations through initiatives such as the California Black Freedom Fund and San Francisco's Dream Keeper Initiative. What he's saying:"San Francisco, like many other cities in this country, has benefited greatly from the contributions of Black leaders since its inception. We expect that to continue to be the case," Blackwell said. Shakirah Simley She is the executive director of the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, the Bay Area's oldest Black-led nonprofit, which supports the Fillmore and Western Addition's residents through community programs, educational opportunities and recreational activities. She previously was the inaugural director at the city's Office of Racial Equity. Simley's work in social justice is largely inspired by her family. She is the granddaughter of a Black Panther, grew up attending marches and remembers joining her mother in advocating for Black inclusion in public schools. What she's saying:"I want to imagine a world where everyone's basic needs are met, with dignity, choice and respect," she said. "There was never a question that I would do this work." Rev. Amos Brown He is president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP and pastor of the city's Third Baptist Church since 1976. He's led several initiatives over the years to support Black families, African refugees and food-insecure San Franciscans. He continues to advocate for human rights and social justice issues at the local, national and global level. Honey Mahogany She is a longtime activist and director of the city's Office of Transgender Initiatives, where she advocates for social and public policy initiatives that support the trans, intersex and gender non-conforming community. She's also appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race," served as the first Black trans chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party and helped create the world's first legally recognized transgender district, in the Tenderloin.
