A homeless woman quietly demonstrating in support of Donald Trump near his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday was violently harassed and abused by a group of people who surrounded her, yelled insults at her and appeared to knock her to the ground.
The woman can be seen in a series of videos posted to YouTube sitting silently while holding signs in support of the Republican presidential nominee, including one that read, “20 Million Illegals and Americans sleep on the streets in tents. Vote Trump.”
The woman — who has not yet been identified — was demonstrating near Trump’s star on the Hollywood landmark, which was destroyed by 53-year-old James Otis in a pre-dawn pick-ax attack early Wednesday morning.
[Warning: Strong Language]
In the videos, men can be seen shouting and cursing at the woman before taking things from her cart. One man accuses the woman of “spewing hate.”
“You spewed hate and you got hate,” one man tells the woman as she lies on the ground, with bystanders ripping up her signs. “You got exactly what you were dishing out. I told you. I warned you.”
A group of people continues to stand around while some consider calling paramedics. Another woman eventually asks the homeless woman if she needs some water.
The apparent assault happened one day after Otis, wearing a construction worker’s uniform, repeatedly struck Trump’s star with a pick-ax, destroying it. Otis was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with felony vandalism. He faces up to three years in jail and a $10,000 fine if convicted.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News after the incident, Otis said he had planned the attack for six weeks and that he was “fed up” with what he described as Trump’s misogynistic behavior.
“He’ll continue to do this, he’ll continue to make women suffer,” Otis told the paper. “So that’s what I’d tell him. “You need help. Please understand that.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum