Decision to charge San Francisco business owner sparks controversy

The decision to charge a San Francisco gallery owner with assault for dousing a homeless man with a garden hose has sparked new debate.

It’s been a week and a half since a video surfaced showing San Francisco gallery owner Collier Gwyn spraying a homeless man outside of his business.

Gwin was arrested and charged on Wednesday.

The Reverend Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, said he has spoken extensively with Gwyn about the incident since then.

Brown told NBC Bay Area Thursday that he disagreed with San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ decision to indict Gwyn, but tried not to criticize the decision.

“I am not interested in retributive justice. I am interested in restorative justice,” he said.

Gwin was unavailable for comment when NBC Bay Area arrived at his gallery on Thursday.

Instead, the man who said he was an employee there told NBC Bay Area over a loudspeaker in the door that Gwyn had been taken into custody but had been cited and released. He said Gwin didn’t have a lawyer.

Brown told NBC Bay Area that he has been in contact with Gwyn since last week.

“He admitted. He said he was sorry. I spoke to him several times,” Brown said.

Brown is much more critical of the city’s handling of the homeless and the city’s growing drug crisis over the past few years.

He noted recent break-ins at his Third Baptist Church and other congregations in the city.

“Because the political structure of this city is not addressing the issue of the homeless comprehensively, holistically and compassionately,” he said. “As a result, we ended up in such a deplorable situation.”

Brown added that the Gwyn incident could be a learning experience when it comes to the homeless.

He added that the responsibility for resolving the situation lies with everyone, including those who were left homeless.

“Even a person who does not have a home must be held accountable,” Brown said.