Criminal Justice
Collier Gwin, an art gallery owner in the Financial District, sprays water on an unhoused individual on Jan. 9, 2023. | Courtesy @briochesf
Mere hours after District Attorney Brooke Jenkins issued a warrant for his arrest, art gallery owner Collier Gwin is reportedly in the custody of the San Francisco Police Department.
In a Jan. 9 incident that was caught on video and quickly went viral, Gwin was seen spraying an unhoused woman of color on the sidewalk with a hose, leading to widespread outrage. The woman, who is known in and around North Beach as either Cora or Q, initially did not wish to press charges.
A San Francisco police spokesperson confirmed to The Standard that Gwin was arrested on the 700 block of Montgomery Street at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and transported to county jail, where he was booked on the charge of battery.
Gwin has given multiple interviews in which he admitted to spraying the woman with a hose.
The block of the incident is also the site of Foster-Gwin Art & Antiques. Widely viewed through the lens of San Francisco's racial and class divides, the episode swiftly became national news, with many observers calling Gwin's actions cruel while others rallied to the business owner's defense.
The gallery later saw its Yelp page restricted after a barrage of critical reviews, and a police patrol car had been stationed outside for several days.
Astrid Kane can be reached at [email protected]
