City Councilwoman Gloria Gray recently filed a formal complaint against Inglewood Mayor James Butts alleging that he has engaged in aggressive and intimidating behavior towards her, including “uncontrollable yelling and retaliation”.
In the complaint, Gray stated: “He has continuously demonstrated unprofessional behaviors in the form of harassment, discrimination, humiliation, retaliation; thus, creating a hostile, stressful, fearful and threatening work environment that makes it difficult for me to perform my duties as Councilwoman for District 1. Furthermore, Mayor Butts purposely treats me different from my council peers, which results in disparate resources being provided to District 1.”
Gray went on to state that on numerous occasions, Mayor Butts had challenged her in a demeaning manner and publicly humiliated her. She is also alleging that the residents of District 1 have been injured in a pattern of retaliatory behavior that denies them supplemental funding or resources.
Inglewood resident Boyd Rogers recounted one incident where Butts cut Gray off and called him out on it.
“I got up and told him [Butts], ‘The way you cut her off wasn’t right’”, Boyd recalls. “So, he stopped me to explain to me why he cut her off. And I told him, ‘There’s always a better way to do things, and that wasn’t the right way.’ You just don’t do those things in a public meeting. It was disrespectful and he does it in such a way that you know, he doesn’t like her.”
Homeowner Elaine Powell observed a similar incident at a city council meeting where the Mayor appeared to her to be antagonistic of Gray while cutting her off whenever Gray begin to address an issue.
“Finally, when she corrected him and said, ‘Mayor, this is how the order of the meeting was supposed to go,’ he finally allowed her to speak but you could tell that he was not happy and didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. He was rolling his eyes and just so unprofessional. I didn’t go back.”
As a resident of Gray’s district, Vonyetta Nickerson-Campbell is also troubled by how Butts’ behavior towards Gray impacts the residents of Inglewood’s District 1.
“Aside from being belligerent and argumentative, it’s obvious the difference between the way he deals with her and the rest of the city councilmembers. Everything she asks for, he pretty much vetoes.”
But for Councilwoman Gray, the issue goes beyond what happens on the city council.
“My concerns are heightened due to the fact that, as a former police chief, Mayor Butts is allowed to carry a weapon,” Gray wrote in her complaint. “Additionally, his imposing physical stature compared to my stature, his law enforcement training, his demons, demonstrable and uncontrollable anger, bullying, retaliation and threatening behavior have caused me to be concerned about my safety.”
For some in Inglewood, the complaints are part of a pattern of behavior that has shadowed Butts’ mayoral reign.
In 2021, Butts was sued by Inglewood Treasurer Wanda Brown for defamation and infliction of emotional distress after they slashed her salary by 83% and removed her from weekly council meetings.
In August, attorneys representing Melanie McDade-Dickens demanded $65 million to settle a lawsuit brought against Butts for sexual harassment and retaliation. McDade-Dickens—who served as personal assistant to the mayor accused him of berating her in front of staff, cutting her assignments and stalking her following the breakup of their romantic relationship.
The councilwoman—who was sworn into office in May of 2023—is requesting a detailed investigation by an independent party to look into the allegations, asserting that Butts’ actions are not “consistent with the values code of conduct, ethics, or state or federal laws”.
The residents we spoke with agreed that an investigation was justified. In public comments submitted to the Inglewood city clerk’s office, Marvin McCoy pressed the City Council for action, writing “I’m requesting that the City Manager and Council adhere to the Councilwoman’s request to have these allegations investigated immediately by an accredited law firm outside of the Mayor’s purview and or influence and take the necessary, corrective actions as warranted.”
More on this story to come.