‘Don’t you know who I am?’ Woke San Francisco reparations committee president was accused of launching foul-mouthed tirade at city hall staffer who asked him to remove his belt for security check

The board president of a San Francisco reparation committee was last year accused of launching a furious tirade at a city hall staffer- calling him a ‘n*****’ and shouting ‘don’t you know who I am’.

Woke Shamann Walton, who heads up the board that wants to award every black resident $5million, is accused of refusing to remove his belt for a security check at City Hall last June.

Sheriff’s Cadet Emare Butler, 43, accused Walton of calling him the N-word and behaving in a threatening manner – allegedly saying he would ‘whoop his a**’.

The City Hall staffer claims the belt set off the metal detector in the past, and asked for him to remove it for safety.

Protocols were put in place as a result of Supervisor Dan White assassinating Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.

Both men, who are black, have become embroiled in a formal process after Butler appealed a review of the incident by the Department of Human Resources.

The report claims that all parties were satisfied that the improper conduct has been timely and appropriately addressed.

Walton reportedly said: ‘It’s n*****s like you who look like me that’s always the problem, it’s always my own people. This is some n***** shit.’

But Butler, who has worked for the sheriff’s department for six years, filed a 77-page appeal to the decision, arguing that the determination was inaccurate and incomplete.

He claims that he was never contacted about the incident, and that investigators also failed to speak to those who witnessed it.

In the documents he also accused Walton and the supervisor’s chief of staff, Natalie Gee, of making offensive and defamatory remarks.

Speaking to the San Francisco Standard, Butler said: ‘I was like wow, seriously, you are supposed to be somebody important in this building and this is how you talk. 

‘I was embarrassed mostly because everyone stopped. Once the whole place stopped and saw him putting on this show. I was like, it’s unbelievable.

Sheriff’s Cadet Emare Butler, 43,  (pictured) accused Walton of calling him the N-word and behaving in a threatening manner – allegedly saying he would ‘whoop his a**’

The board president (center) said the events were ‘in clear dispute’ and he ‘would never expect the Sheriff’s department to provide an accurate account of what transpired between two Black men’

‘It was really embarrassing and hurtful – coming from him.  He should know better.

‘You would expect that he would know better, and given his position he would treat people that are trying to keep you safe with some respect.

‘Just because we have the same color, it doesn’t mean that is allowed. It is rude and disrespectful no matter what colors you are. 

‘We’re not friends, this is a professional setting. You should be setting an example. 

‘I felt the only reason he was doing it was because of his position and my position. I highly doubt he would have done that to someone he considered to be on his level.’

Walton has disputed a Sheriff’s memo of the events, and insisted that he was being targeted because of his efforts to scrutinize law enforcement.

The board president said the events were ‘in clear dispute’ and he ‘would never expect the Sheriff’s department to provide an accurate account of what transpired between two Black men.’

He did not detail which parts of the description of the incident were inaccurate.

Butler appealed to the Civil Series Commission, which means the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity division will launch another investigation and prepare a report.

Walton, an elected official, cannot be fired by the commission over the allegations but it could spark a potential civil lawsuit.

Speaking soon after the incident, Mayor London Breed said that Walton’s alleged behavior is highly inappropriate for an elected official.

He also wanted Walton to ‘apologize’ for the ‘very unfortunate and sad situation’, adding that even if he had not used the racial slur the incident would ‘still be of concern.’

DailyMail.com reached out to the Department of Human Resources in Fan Francisco to clarify the position of the review, but did not immediately receive a response.

Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said in a written statement that the office ‘fully stands by our cadet who was simply doing his job that day and has shown nothing but professionalism and grace in the wake of this incident.’

Activists calling for reparations staged a rally on Tuesday ahead of the 3pm Board of Supervisors meeting, at which the public could share their views

Shamann Walton, middle left, first proposed the plan in February 2020, and Tuesday marked the first public hearing to discuss a reparations proposal unveiled in December

Walton is part of the reparation committee who plans to award every black resident $5million, wipe their personal debt, guarantee $97,000 incomes for 250 years and $1 homes.

However it is still not clear how the struggling, debt-addled city might pay for it – a question which was not addressed during a city board meeting on Tuesday.

The proposals put forward in San Francisco last night are among some of the most generous to be heard to date.

Of the 11 people on the board only Shamann Walton is African American.

The Board of Supervisors who heard the suggestions last night can vote to adopt some or all of the recommendations.

They will not decide on whether or not to adopt the recommendations until later this year, once the committee which put forward the draft plan has submitted a final report.

Another meeting has been scheduled for September.