City Councillor Giovanni Recupero could be investigated for alleged Civil Rights violations by City Solicitor Cheryl Fisher Watson after complaints lodged with the Council were forwarded to her Monday night – with the charges stemming from an incident where Recupero allegedly verbally harassed a 17-year-old member of the Youth Commission in the City Hall parking lot Feb. 23 following a controversial vote on removing the Christopher Columbus Statue.
Giovanni Recupero Jr. spoke to defend his father, saying, “Do I look like the creation of a
white supremacist?”
Complaints came in quickly after the Feb. 23 meeting in regards to the tenor of comments from Recupero and Councillor Toddy Taylor – both of whom voted against taking down the statue in Chelsea Square – when Youth Commission members Brandon Garcia and Richard Flores gave testimony as part of their high school class and Youth Commission advocacy. Students and Chelsea High Teacher Ilana Ascher said they felt dismissed and disrespected. However, for Recupero, the allegations became more serious as he is alleged to have followed the students outside to the City Hall Parking Lot and confronted them in a heated discussion. He allegedly would not stop when asked to and the students reported feeling harassed and that their rights had been infringed upon.