Man Spraying Hose on Homeless Person in SF- Identified as owner of posh art gallery

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Link to tweet

A man in San Francisco’s Financial District has been captured on video spraying water on a homeless person with a hose Monday, triggering strong reactions from community members who denounced his actions as inhumane.

The video, uploaded by the Twitter account of a nearby business, Brioche Cafe, depicts the man casually using a high-pressure hose to spray what appears to be a homeless woman sitting on the ground before pointing and yelling at them to move.

The victim, who appears to be sitting on the sidewalk with their belongings, screams and attempts to deflect the hose’s stream.

“Only in San Francisco,” Brioche Cafe tweeted. “No respect.”

https://sfstandard.com/housing-development/man-spraying-hose-on-homeless-person-caught-on-video-in-san-francisco/

A businessman who turned a hose onto a homeless woman in a viral Monday video has been identified as Collier Gwin, owner of a posh art gallery in San Francisco’s Financial District.

Michael Imperiale, the co-owner of nearby business Tricolore, confirmed to The Standard that Gwin is the person seen in the viral video using a hose to spray a homeless woman sitting on the ground.

The victim, who appears to be sitting on the sidewalk with her belongings, screams and attempts to deflect the hose’s stream. Neighbors confirmed that the woman had been living on the block for at least two weeks and has been seen around the area for years.

“I would never do what he did,” Imperiale said. “But I personally have called social services so many times, and they say we can’t do anything.”

Gwin did not respond to phone calls, emails or a visit to their business by The Standard.

https://sfstandard.com/housing-development/man-who-turned-hose-on-homeless-woman-is-posh-art-gallery-owner/

[PSPS]

1. And Jesus sayeth, "Hose the vermin off thy sidewalk as they are not my creatures. Amen" Good grief.

[Pachamama]

2. Horrible

Sadistic inhumane monster

[mahina]

3. Time to close.

[Celerity]

4. Shocking moment San Francisco gallery owner - who once counted David Rockefeller and Arnold

Schwarzenegger as clients – HOSES down a homeless woman and says he's only sorry she didn't move sooner

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11620589/San-Francisco-gallery-owner-HOSES-homeless-woman-says-hes-sorry-didnt-move.html

The owner of an art gallery in San Francisco has been caught on camera hosing down a homeless woman on the sidewalk as temperatures hit 49 degrees. Collier Gwin, who runs Foster Gwin Gallery in the Financial District, was seen on Monday leaning casually against the gate of a restaurant while using a garden hose to blast water at the woman as she screamed in fright.

Local businesses were quick to condemn his actions, while scores of enraged social media users sought revenge by leaving a string of dreadful reviews online - causing the gallery's rating on Google to plunge to just one star. After admitting to being the man in the video, Gwin, whose clients once included David Rockefeller and Arnold Schwarzenegger, tried to defend his actions, claiming she had become psychotic and was turning over garbage cans.

'I said you have to move, I cannot clean the street, move down,' Gwin told The San Francisco Chronicle. 'She starts screaming belligerent things, spitting, yelling at me... at that point she was so out of control... I spray her with the hose and say move, move. I will help you.' He added he is a 'champion' for trying to help her previously.

The video has since had almost nine million views. But despite the widespread backlash, Gwin stuck by his actions. 'You know, spraying her’s not the solution, but spraying her was something that woke her up, and that calmed her down,' Gwin said. 'So am I sorry? I’m only sorry that... my way of helping her countlessly has gotten nothing done.'

snip

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

5. Thanks for additional info. He is an ahole.

[Dorian Gray]

20. Ugh

There is so much here to be sad about. 1) his ability to completely disrespect and dehumanize another human being bc she's inconvenient. 2) A society has become so economically disparate and that has given up and allows people to live on the streets. 3) The sheer numbers of people who are living destitute lives and have to live on the street. 4) There are nowhere near enough social services available to tackle the problem.

What he did is inhumane. Truly.

I don't live in San Francisco, but I do live in Brooklyn. Homelessness in NYC has changed over the last few years. There are more people on the streets and public transportation who are obviously self-medicating with illegal street drugs. They're more willing to harass people than in the past where panhandling and leaving people alone was the norm. NYC doesn't have the infrastructure to handle the influx of homeless. San Fran seems to have been battling this battle for longer.

[C0RI0LANUS]

6. No Compassion

Those are the actions of an arrogant elderly, wealthy man, confident he'll never be homeless like the poor woman he humiliated and drenched.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

8. now he says he is sorry

When confronted on Tuesday, Gwin told SFGATE that he has no second thoughts about his actions and he felt it was justified. "In that situation, the street was being washed and she refused to move. She started screaming profanities, and becoming very belligerent," Gwin told the outlet.

However, on Wednesday, he seemed to change his tune. Gwin told CBS-affiliate KPIX-5 that he was "very, very sorry" and he was "not going to defend" himself this time. He claimed he made an extensive effort to help her out before.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/a-man-said-he-was-very-sorry-after-he-was-caught-on-video-spraying-an-unhoused-woman-with-water/ar-AA16euC8

[Earth-shine]

7. Would this count as assault?

Just sickening.

[icymist]

9. Yes and more:

"This attack during the midst of life threatening weather changes and less than adequate shelter resources was cold and callous to say the least," said Tyler Kyser, policy director at the Coalition on Homelessness. "Staying dry is the most important thing people have to do to avoid hypothermia when they are living outside on the streets so this attack is beyond being anti homeless and is a direct attack on this woman’s life. Violent acts committed by housed folks against our unhoused neighbors needs to stop and we hope that this woman who was attacked is able to get respite and justice in addition to a true exit from homelessness."

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/san-francisco-man-sprays-woman-17708160.php

[Dorian Gray]

21. That's the part that isn't lost on me

the absolute cruelty in soaking her and her belongings. Where is she going to go to get dry? It's the meanest thing I've seen.

[Sky Jewels]

10. It's the casually crossed leg that does it for me.

It's like, "Ho hum, here I am doing this non-remarkable task of hosing down a destitute human being and making her miserable life ever more miserable. No biggee."

[C0RI0LANUS]

15. Spot on!

And this art shop owner has nothing better to do with his time?

The words "insouciantly" or "cavalierly" crossed through my biological computer reading your well-done contribution.

[lpbk2713]

11. All her worldly possessions are now water logged.

That is cruel beyond belief. She may have had family photos of better times or other irreplaceable items.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

12. her clothes soaked on a cold day.

[mcar]

13. That's all I could think about

Everything she has in her world is either saturated or ruined.

[ismnotwasm]

14. An absolute horror show

I hope he loses his business

[area51]

16. F Collier Gwin

[gratuitous]

17. Gee whiz people, what can put-upon Collier possibly do?

Pay more in taxes to fund badly underfunded social services? Pfffft! As if!

[dalton99a]

18. A proud moment of his life

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

19. that image sums it up. and you can see this is a woman of color (by her hands)