*Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. is facing intensified scrutiny after a named witness provided EURweb with a written statement saying she personally observed the physical contact at the center of an allegation involving a female high school student.
The allegation remains unproven. EURweb has not independently established that Butts touched the student as alleged, and Butts’ office has not responded to detailed questions submitted by EURweb.
The latest developments follow EURweb’s earlier reporting on the allegation, which arose from Tuesday’s VOTECHELLA youth voter-engagement event at Inglewood City Hall.
Witness Describes What She Says She Saw
Akia Jackson, who identified herself as an attendee at VOTECHELLA, provided EURweb with a signed statement dated Sept. 16.
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Jackson said she was standing behind a group being photographed when Butts put his left arm around a young dancer. According to Jackson, his hand initially rested around the middle of the student’s back before moving downward.
Jackson described the hand as stopping “immediately above or along the upper edge of her buttocks.”
She said she immediately directed a colleague’s attention to what she was observing. After the photograph, Jackson said, the student twisted out from underneath Butts’ arm.
Jackson also described the student as appearing uncomfortable and disgusted. That is Jackson’s interpretation of the student’s reaction; EURweb has not spoken with the student and cannot independently establish how she felt.
Jackson said she discussed what she witnessed with colleagues shortly afterward and maintained that her account was based on what she personally observed before the allegation appeared on social media.
Activists Point to Alleged Late-Night Visit
The controversy widened Thursday as activists held a press conference outside Inglewood City Hall demanding Butts’ resignation and an independent investigation.
During the event, speakers alleged that video shows Butts and City Clerk Aisha Thompson later visiting the student’s family home.
Community activist Yolanda Davidson acknowledged under questioning that she had not spoken with the student or her parents and did not know what was discussed during the alleged visit.
Davidson is also a candidate for Inglewood City Council District 1 in the Nov. 3 election.
Inglewood Construction Appeals Board member Leonard Redway, another District 1 candidate, made a more sweeping allegation in a separate Facebook video.
Redway said footage shows Butts and other city officials arriving at the family’s home at approximately 10:30 p.m. He characterized the visit as an attempt to make the controversy disappear and accused officials of failing to report the matter to authorities.
EURweb has not independently established the purpose of the alleged visit, what was discussed at the residence, whether officials had a legal reporting obligation under the circumstances or whether a cover-up occurred.
Butts’ Office Has Not Responded
EURweb contacted Butts’ office Thursday morning and spoke with executive assistant Maria Barba, who asked that questions about the allegation be submitted by email and said the office would respond.
EURweb submitted questions asking Butts to address Jackson’s account, describe any contact with the student, explain whether he communicated with the student’s father, address the alleged home visit and respond to Redway’s cover-up allegation.
No response had been received by publication time.
FOX 11 also reported at the conclusion of its coverage of Thursday’s press conference that it had contacted Butts and had not yet received a response.
What Remains Unanswered
Activists have demanded preservation of photographs, video, communications and other records from VOTECHELLA and are calling for an investigation independent of the mayor’s office.
The central questions now extend beyond competing social-media accounts: whether photographs or video corroborate Jackson’s description of the original contact, what happened after the allegation was raised, and whether any official investigation has begun.
Jackson’s statement adds a named purported eyewitness to the record. It does not, by itself, prove the allegation.
And the reported late-night visit, even if independently confirmed, would not establish its purpose or prove wrongdoing without additional evidence.
For now, those distinctions remain essential as demands for answers grow and Butts has yet to publicly provide his account.
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