Video shows San Francisco gallery owner spraying homeless woman with hose

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Video captured a San Francisco gallery owner spraying a homeless woman with a garden hose Monday morning, which led to outrage online while the gallery owner expressed no remorse.

UPDATE: 'I can't defend that,' says art gallery owner after outrage over spraying homeless woman with hose

The TikTok account of San Francisco bakery Brioche S.F. posted a video Monday of Collier Gwin, owner and operator of Foster Gwin Gallery on Montgomery Street in the city's Financial District, nonchalantly spraying a homeless woman that morning while she was sitting down in front of the Barbarossa Lounge, Gwin's neighbor.

On Tuesday, San Francisco police confirmed that officer from the Central station responded to the 700 block of Montgomery Street on Monday around noon regarding the incident, which authorities described as a possible assault. Arriving officers met with a male suspect and a female victim who were involved a dispute. 

The officers interviewed both parties who declined further police action at that time. Police said the San Francisco Street Crisis Response Team also responded to the scene and provided multiple service options to the woman. Officers have written up the incident in a police report.

The video caused outrage online, leading the Foster Gwin Gallery to shut down all online presence and the Barbarossa Lounge to deny any involvement.

But in interviews with the press, Gwin expressed no remorse for his actions, saying he'd do it again.

"We've been able in the past to take them to a shelter, but they've also had a situation with… I don't know," Gwin said to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter.

Gwin told the Chronicle that he had been letting the woman sleep in his doorway for days and was speaking with the city about getting her assistance. He claimed that he started spraying her with the hose after she refused to leave and became belligerent.

Barbarossa Lounge owner Arash Ghanadan confirmed details from Gwin's statement – that the woman had been posted there for days and local business owners had been trying to get her assistance from the city – but he disagreed on how to treat her.

"I do want people to know that definitely what you see on the video is not the appropriate way to handle it," Ghanadan told the SF Gate. "We certainly condemn that."

It's unclear what happened to the woman who Gwin sprayed, but commenters have noted that Gwin could be charged with assault under state law.

Eric Ting of SF Gate tweeted that police spoke to Gwin about a possible assault but that both parties declined further action at that time.

San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin posted about the incident on Twitter, calling it an "unconscionable assault" and saying police were "soliciting witness statements to ensure this man is charged."

He also said that his office was "well acquainted with the victim" and had by trying to get support for her from the San Francisco Department of Public Health "for months."

In:
• Homelessness
• San Francisco