Nationwide — Tiffany Henyard, mayor of Dolton, Illinois, was caught in a physical altercation during a recent Thornton Township Board meeting. The fight erupted after a heated public comment session, when her boyfriend, Kamal Woods, confronted a speaker.The tension escalated when the last speaker, Jedidiah Brown, insulted Henyard, calling her a “b****,” according to CBS News. Woods and other Henyard supporters reacted immediately, leading to a brawl with punches and kicks flying. Security tried to intervene as more people joined the fight.
Henyard, seated at the front with the board, ran toward the chaos but was knocked down and lost a shoe. It’s unclear whether she was trying to break up the fight or join in. Brown later filed an order of protection against Henyard and Woods.
The meeting also saw the board voting to place Woods and another Henyard ally, William Moore, on paid administrative leave. Both men, involved in the township’s youth program, are now under investigation. Henyard opposed the decision, calling it political retaliation, but the fight overshadowed the decision.
South Holland police arrived at the scene and cleared the building, but it remains unclear if any arrests were made. The meeting ended abruptly and attendees left in shock, calling the scene an embarrassment for the township.
“I have never seen a politician jump in and fight like that — it was scary and horrible — It is an embarrassment,” Meghan Dudek, who witnessed the fight, told NBC Chicago.
“It should have never come to blows, and Tiffany should have never got involved,” said Gerald Williams.