Black Lives Matter Lake County founder and Executive Director Clyde McLemore says he plans to leave his position with the organization he started 11 years ago as soon as he can find a replacement in the wake of a video that went viral of an altercation he had with a female contractor.
The altercation took place about a month after the ribbon-cutting for the Black Lives Matter Lake County Resource Center on Waukegan’s South Side.
“I know that I am expected to handle difficult moments with patience and restraint,” McLemore said in a statement issued Thursday. “I take responsibility for my part in what happened.”
Looking ahead, he said, “I am actively seeking a community leader who can take over my role as executive director in order to carry on the mission of Black Lives Matter Lake County without any distractions.”
Nyesha Hill, an independent contractor hired to pursue grants, was already working for Black Lives Matter when the office opened on Sept. 24. On Oct. 24, the two of them got into a fight and exchanged blows. The altercation was recorded on internal surveillance cameras, according to a Jan. 26 Waukegan police report.
Both Hill and McLemore were seen on the video pushing and hitting each other in an office stairwell, according to the report. The video was part of the police report.
When asked if she contacted police after the Oct 24 incident, Hill said she did not because she “did not want to put a Black man in jail,” according to the report.
Though McLemore said Hill had not worked at the office since Dec. 10, he said she came there on Jan. 12 asking him for money, and he asked her to leave, according to the report.
Hill told police she demanded payment while they were in his office, and they once again started “pushing and shoving.” There are no surveillance cameras in the office.
Hill claimed while talking to the police on Jan. 12 that she had seen McLemore spending money allocated for Black Lives Matter on “girls” and gambling, according to the report. McLemore said Thursday his gambling was done with personal funds.
McLemore called the police that day, the report said, but they did not find sufficient cause to make any arrests.
McLemore said in his statement that he “regrets” letting the situation with Hill escalate as he became more frustrated with her demands for money. Regardless of disagreements, people need to be treated with respect, he said.
“I sincerely apologize for the example that it set and for the disappointment it has caused,” McLemore said in his statement. “My conduct in that moment is not reflective of the mission or the values of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is rooted in respect for human dignity, accountability, and justice.”
Attempts to contact Hill on Thursday were unsuccessful.
