April  25,  2016  

 
Manuela  Albuquerque  
Burke,  Williams  &  Sorensen,  LLP  
1901  Harrison  Street,  Suite  900  
Oakland,  CA    94612  
 
Re:  Brown  v.  Brooks  
 
Dear  Ms.  Albuquerque:  
 
I  am  sending  you  the  following  statement  to  support  my  request  that  the  City  of  Oakland  
provide  me  with  a  defense  and  indemnification  in  Elaine  Brown’s  lawsuit  against  me  and  the  
City  of  Oakland.  As  I  explain,  I  was  on  City  business  on  October  30,  2015,  meeting  with  
members  of  the  public,  when  Elaine  Brown  confronted  me  on  an  issue  of  City  business  and  
engaged  in  the  actions  that  led  to  this  litigation.    
 
Over  the  years  Everett  &  Jones  has  been  an  informal  venue  where  I  have  hosted  a  number  of  
meetings  regarding  City  business.    On  October  30,  2015,  I  went  to  Everett  &  Jones,  Jack  London  
Square,  to  meet,  among  others,  Dorothy  King  and  Len  Turner.    I  was  co-­‐sponsoring  a  Speakers  
Series  with  Everett  &  Jones  on  issues  confronting  residents  in  the  City  of  Oakland.    I  was  also  
meeting  Len  Turner  to  discuss  his  plans  for  properties  he  owns  in  District  6.  
 
When  I  arrived  at  the  restaurant  Dorothy  King  and  Len  Turner  were  sitting  at  a  table  in  the  front  
bar.    I  joined  them.    Dorothy  was  drinking  wine,  Len  had  a  beverage,  and  I  ordered  lemonade  as  
I  do  not  drink  alcoholic  beverages.    We  proceeded  to  talk;  shortly  thereafter  we  were  joined  by  
Ms.  Elaine  Brown.    Upon  joining  us,  Ms.  Brown  ordered  her  first,  of  what  would  be  a  series  of,  
alcoholic  beverages.    Although  I  understand  that  Ms.  Brown  is  an  alcoholic  who  attended  
alcohol  rehabilitation  programs  in  1999  and  2006,  I  believe  that  she  continues  to  consume  
alcoholic  beverages  quite  heavily.  
 
Ms.  Brown  injected  herself  into  the  conversation  between  Ms.  King,  Mr.  Turner  and  me.    Ms.  
Brown  said  she  had  applied  for  the  N.O.F.A.  (Notice  of  Funding  Availability)  with  the  City.    To  
which  I  made  a  general  statement  that  I  had  been  expressing  for  over  a  year  –  “to  address  the  
immediate  housing  crisis  of  existing  Oakland  residents,  the  City  should  use  the  N.O.F.A.  monies  
to  buy  existing  buildings  rather  than  wait  three  to  five  years  for  new  construction.    Once  the  
buildings  were  purchased  the  City  could  cap  the  rents.    This  would  allow  existing  residents  to  
remain  in  place  and  stave  off  some  of  the  displacement.”    Ms.  Brown  became  angry  at  my  
statement  and  said  that  she  needed  money  for  her  project.    I  reiterated  that  we  were  in  a  
housing  crisis  and  that  working  class  families  and  communities  of  color  could  not  wait  three  to  
five  years  before  we  addressed  the  affordability  issue.    Ms.  Brown  said  something  about  her  
“mother  fucking  project,”  to  which  I  replied,  “I  thought  you  were  supposed  to  be  for  the  
people.”      
 
Manuela  Albuquerque  
April  25,  2016  
Page  2  
My  conversation  with  Ms.  Brown  lasted  just  a  couple  of  minutes.    It  was  clear  we  disagreed  on  
how  the  N.O.F.A.  monies  should  be  spent.    As  such  I  terminated  any  conversation  with  her.    I  
proceeded  to  have  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Turner  only.  
 
Ms.  King  left  the  table  shortly  after  the  conversation  between  Ms.  Brown  and  me.    Mr.  Turner  
remained  seated  to  my  left  and  Ms.  Brown  was  seated  to  my  right.  Ms.  Brown  remained  at  the  
table.    Ms.    Brown  ordered  two  or  three  additional  alcoholic  beverages.    Despite  no-­‐one  saying  
anything  to  her,  the  more  she  drank  the  angrier  she  became.    She  proceeded  to  make  a  phone  
call  to  someone.    She  told  the  person  on  the  phone  she  had  come  to  celebrate  but  that  wasn’t  
going  to  happen  because  “this  bitch”  was  ruining  her  celebration.    Although  she  was  on  the  
phone,  and  I  was  seated  at  the  table,  she  continued  to  make  loud  disparaging  remarks  about  
me.    I  ignored  her  and  continued  to  talk  with  Mr.  Turner.    I  had  no  further  dialogue  with  Ms.  
Brown  for  the  remainder  of  her  time  at  the  table.  
 
About  a  half  an  hour  into  her  drinking,  cussing  and  fussing,  I  heard  Ms.  Brown  tell  the  waitress  
“I  need  my  mother  fucking  bill  because  I  got  to  get  the  fuck  up  out  of  here.”    Within  minutes  of  
her  bill  being  settled  Ms.  Brown  got  up  from  the  table.    She  walked  past  me,  turned,  and  
walked  past  Mr.  Turner.  When  she  got  to  the  far  side  of  the  table  facing  me  she  yelled,  “You  
bitch!  I’m  going  to  kick  your  mother  fucking  ass.    Messing  with  my  mother  fucking  project.    I’m  
going  to  kick  your  mother  fucking  ass.    Come  on  step  outside  so  I  can  kick  your  mother  fucking  
ass.”    Ms.  Brown  was  yelling,  cussing  and  fussing  in  the  middle  of  the  restaurant.    I  looked  at  
her  in  disbelief.    I  did  not  respond  to  Ms.  Brown’s  belligerent  behavior.  
 
Dorothy  King  came  back  into  the  front  bar  area.    She  told  Ms.  Brown  to  stop  making  a  scene  in  
the  restaurant.    Ms.  Brown  continued  to  yell  profanities  and  vulgar  statements  directed  at  me.    
Despite  Ms.  Brown’s  refusal  to  cease  her  behavior,  neither  Ms.  King  nor  any  security  attempted  
to  address  Ms.  Brown  further  or  remove  her  from  the  restaurant.    I  still  did  not  respond  to  Ms.  
Brown’s  belligerent  behavior.  
 
Ms.  King  proceeded  to  walk  to  Q’s  Lounge  in  the  back  of  the  restaurant,  which  had  yet  to  open  
for  business.    When  she  walked  past  the  table  where  I  was  sitting  she  said,  “come  to  the  back.”    
Ms.  Brown,  Ms.  King  and  I  began  walking  towards  the  back.    Ms.  King  was  first,  Ms.  Brown  
second  and  I  was  third.      
 
Ms.  Brown  again  began  yelling,  cussing  and  threatening  to  “kick  my  ass”  and  did  not  stop.    She  
became  more  and  more  agitated,  belligerent,  and  hostile.    It  seemed  that  nothing  would  stop  
her.    She  kept  yelling  at  me  to  “go  outside”  so  she  could  “kick  my  ass.”    
 
When  we  got  into  the  hallway  leading  to  Q’s  Lounge,  Ms.  Brown  came  up  to  me  and  made  a  
weird  poking  movement  towards  my  chest  and  stomach  area.    She  continued  to  yell  profanities  
and  threatening  to  “kick  my  ass.”    We  walked  a  little  further  down  the  hall,  and  Ms.  Brown  

 
 
Manuela  Albuquerque  
April  25,  2016  
Page  3  
walked  back  to  me  and  repeated  the  poking  movement  and  continued  ranting.    She  said  “come  
outside  cause  I’m  not  going  to  get  a  case.    I’m  not  going  to  get  a  case.”      
 
When  we  got  to  the  doorway  of  Q’s  lounge  -­‐-­‐  Ms.  Brown,  still  yelling,  belligerent,  cussing  and  
threatening  to  “kick  my  ass”  while  saying  she’s  “not  going  to  get  a  case”  –  turned  to  me  and  
again  made  a  poking  motion  towards  my  stomach  and  chest  area.    I  had  come  to  Everett  &  
Jones  by  myself.    It  became  clear  to  me  that  no  one  in  the  restaurant  was  going  to  stop  Ms.  
Brown  in  her  self-­‐induced  drunken  rage  towards  me.    The  last  time  Ms.  Brown  made  her  poking  
movement  to  my  stomach  and  chest  area,  to  protect  myself  I  pushed  her  away  from  me.  I  did  
nothing  more.    I  never  punched,  or  attempted  to  punch,  Ms.  Brown.      
 
Ms.  Brown  has  told  people  that  when  I  pushed  her  she  lost  her  footing.    She  landed  on  her  back  
over  a  row  of  chairs  at  the  entrance  to  Q’s  Lounge.    I  grabbed  her  and  held  onto  her  so  she  
wouldn’t  fall  to  the  floor.    Others  finally  came  around  to  help  Ms.  Brown  back  to  her  feet.    
When  she  stood  up  she  immediately  started  yelling  profanities  all  over  again.      
 
Someone  finally  took  Ms.  Brown  outside.    I  sat  at  a  table  in  Q’s  Lounge  with  Ms.  King,  Mr.  
Turner  and  some  other  people.    While  we  were  at  the  table  Ms.  Brown  was  outside  still  in  a  
rage.    She  sent  a  note  to  Mr.  Turner  telling  him  if  he  were  her  friend  he  would  not  sit  at  the  
table  with  me.    She  sent  another  note  saying  that  she  didn’t  want  to  be  a  guest  of  Mr.  Turner’s  
at  the  Raiders  game  that  Sunday  if  he  continued  to  sit  at  the  table  with  me.    She  returned  her  
Raiders  ticket  to  him.    Ms.  Brown  finally  went  to  the  seating  area  outside  Everett  &  Jones  on  
Broadway  and  proceeded  to  get  even  drunker.  
 
I  remained  in  Q’s  Lounge  for  approximately  an  hour  after  Ms.  Brown’s  scene  talking  with  Ms.  
King  and  her  husband.    When  I  left  to  go  home,  Ms.  Brown  was  still  sitting  in  the  front  of  the  
restaurant  drinking.  
 
Ms.  Brown  is  a  known  alcoholic.    I  have  heard  Ms.  Brown  speak  about  perpetrating  violence  on  
individuals  and  entities  with  whom  she  disagrees.    I  have  heard  that  couple  of  weeks  earlier  
during  a  conversation  Ms.  Brown  indicated  that  she  had  a  gun.    I  did  not  know  what  Ms.  Brown  
was  capable  of  doing  in  her  drunken  rage.    I  was  left  with  no  choice  but  to  defend  myself.  
 
Please  contact  my  attorney,  Dan  Siegel,  if  you  have  further  questions  about  this  matter.  
 
              Very  truly  yours,  

             
              DESLEY  BROOKS