A disturbing video of a man dousing a homeless woman outside a restaurant has gone viral — and it’s been a nightmare for the San Francisco company where the video was shot.
The clip, which has been viewed more than 3.6 million times, shows a man, identified as Collier Gwin, spraying evil water on a woman as he screams and pointing at her to move as she tries to talk to him .
Many took to the comments to call the act “beyond cruel” and “disgusting”, dismissing the man for his actions.
This is terrible. This horrible man sprays a homeless woman with a garden hose. You can hear her scream “Help me!”
Does anyone recognize him? Is he affiliated with Barbarossa Lounge? This is inhumane and unforgivable.
Shout out to @briochessf for posting the video. pic.twitter.com/3ZKeRP4gar
— (((BrokeAssStuart))) (@BrokeAssStuart) January 10, 2023
“I just went from zero to furiously crazy,” said one comment.
Many eagle-eyed viewers noticed Gwin standing in front of the Barbarossa Lounge, suggesting he may work at the eatery.
The restaurant clarified in a statement that the man was not affiliated with their company in any way.
The clip was recorded by a man named Edson Garcia who works in a cafe next door and recorded it when he drove by and heard screaming.
“Sometimes with one video you can do more than tell the community what’s happening in the city. Sometimes you do it to remind people who we are,” Garcia told the local news station. CROWN 4.
In a second video, Gwin doubled down on his actions and tried to justify the incident by concluding that the woman had acted violently.
I just went down and confronted him during an interview with the chronicle pic.twitter.com/BMuQMJaoHl
— Darren Mckeeman (@tjcrowley) January 10, 2023
Gwin owns the Foster Gwin Art Gallery, near the restaurant where the incident took place.
That said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness CROWN 4 that the woman was offered to be taken to a shelter. Aaron Peskin, chairman of the San Francisco board of directors, explained through social media that his team “knows the woman well” and that they have “been trying to get her support for many months.”
