The owner of a San Francisco art gallery was spotted on camera hosing down a homeless woman on the pavement as temperatures dropped to 49 degrees farenheit (9 degrees celsius). The scene was captured in the US city’s Financial District outside where Collier Gwin runs the Foster Gwin Gallery. The man was seen casually watering the woman who screamed in fright, as she appeared unable to defend herself.
The woman shouted “help me” as the gallery owner continued to hose her down with impunity, leaning against the gate of a restaurant.
She desperately tries to protect herself by placing her hands in front of her, but she seems helpless as she remains sat while the man uses a garden hose to blast water at the screaming woman.
The man is then spotted ordering her to: “Move!”
While the woman protests, the man asks: “You’re gonna move?”
The scene took place outside the Barbarossa Lounge on Montgomery Street in San Francisco’s Financial District, but no passer-by seemed to react to the incident.
Except the chef of Brioche Cafe, who filmed the scene as he made a morning delivery around 6 am. He said the incident left him “shocked”.
Edson Garcia told The San Francisco Chronicle: “I was shocked. I know that lady.”
The man caught in the video later admitted dosing down the homeless woman but claimed she had become a psychotic and turning over garbage cans.
Mr Gwin explained to The San Francisco Chronicle: “I said you have to move, I cannot clean the street, move down.”
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