A Board of Trustees meeting in South Holland, Illinois ended with a brawl. The chaos broke out during the public comment section of Tuesday’s Thornton Township Board of Trustees meeting, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
Tuesday’s meeting appeared to start on a positive note, according to The Chicago Tribune. But tensions escalated after activist Jedidiah Brown fired an expletive at new Thornton Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, who is also the mayor of Dolton, Illinois.
During his statement, Brown referred to the recent report from former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which concluded that Henyard misspent hundreds of thousands in taxpayer funds.
“We’ve been hearing what you’ve been doing while you’ve been at work,” Brown said during the meeting, per Fox News. “And I’m going to give away the rest of my time because I think, on behalf of the Black Cookout Association, that we better take a vote … that we’re going to exchange your Black a** for Stephanie to be the newer member.… So all those against it say ‘nay,’ all those in favor say, ‘aye.’ . . You’re gone b**ch.”
As Brown appeared to be walking back to his seat, the supervisor’s supporters, including Henyard’s boyfriend Kamal Woods, allegedly approached him and engaged in a heated exchange, Vibe reported. Seconds later, elbows started flying and punches were exchanged.
Resident Alicia Nichole, who was at the meeting, said she was shocked by what transpired.
“It was one thing when the guys were fighting, but when she jumped in it, I was taken aback. I was floored,” Nichole told ABC 7 Chicago.
“She jumped in. She hit her head on the table, so I don’t know. She might be injured,” Another resident Gerald Williams said.
South Holland police did not report any injuries after rushing to the scene of the brawl. Police also added two people who were involved in the fight already left the scene before officers arrived.
In a statement, Henyard’s lawyer told Fox 32, “In the face of endless false accusations and outright lies about Mayor Henyard that are being trafficked on social media by her political enemies, it is unsurprising that violence erupted. In the social media age, unchecked falsehoods lead to misplaced tension and aggression. This episode shows that the campaign of false information about the mayor puts her and others in danger.”
Blavity interviewed Henyard back in 2024 when she was being compared to New Jack City’s Nino Brown and her term in office as Dolton mayor was being compared to the show Parks & Recreation.
