One Oakland councilmember’s hand gesture at a meeting Tuesday has made national headlines, gone viral on social media, and dominated local political discourse.
During a contentious council meeting over Flock surveillance cameras, Councilmember Ken Houston — an ardent Flock supporter — appeared to flip off public speakers by resting his raised middle finger over his face.
The crowd in the room and online viewers of the meeting took note.
“You think we didn’t notice you flipping off the audience from your seat just now?” a public speaker on Zoom asked Houston.
The District 7 councilmember looked surprised, then amused, and then seemingly repeated the gesture.
We spoke with Houston about the incident Thursday. He’d just boarded a plane to visit family for the holidays.
He maintained that he didn’t make the gesture on purpose, and that he often rests his hand like that.
But he said he doesn’t care if people think he did it intentionally. He said he’d heard an audience member call him an anti-Latino slur at the meeting.
“If they want to take that finger as ‘eff you,’ then take it as ‘eff you,’” Houston said. “It is so incredible that people are gonna use that one thing of all the things I’ve done in my first year.”
Houston, 61, founded the nonprofit Beautification Council 10 years ago and was elected in November 2024 to represent deep East Oakland after the district’s then-representative, Treva Reid, announced at the last minute that she wouldn’t run for reelection.
In an interview, Houston listed some of his proudest moments of his first year as an elected official, including hiring people who were formerly incarcerated or homeless, first at the Beautification Council and then to work for his council office. He said he’s helped encampment residents move into city shelters and has worked with Gov. Gavin Newsom. He also touted his Encampment Abatement Policy, a proposal — quite controversial in its own right — that would overhaul how the city responds to homeless camps.
“Who wouldn’t want that success?” Houston said. “So if you wanna take the finger from me? Take that finger and stick it up their butt.”
He’s also landed in some potentially hot water. This fall, Houston and Josh Rowan, then-director of both Oakland Public Works and the Department of Transportation, swapped ethics complaints against each other. Houston’s complaint against Rowan was dismissed. Rowan accused Houston of a “sustained pattern of interference, intimidation, and misconduct.”
Unapologetic or unprofessional?
We were hardly the only journalists to inquire about the gesture, which quickly made headlines on CBS News, KTVU, SFist, the New York Post, and Hoodline. A photo of the moment led a “Vibe Report” at the Oakland Review of Books, and the incident was the subject of multiple Reddit discussions criticizing the councilmember for his apparent contempt for constituents.
A video of the middle finger incident was shared by Wall Street Apes, a far-right X account with over 1 million followers, and subsequently reposted by other political commentators. At least one account shared Houston’s office number and email, encouraging people to send complaints.
Some posts characterized Houston as part of the “Democratic supermajority” on Oakland City Council that is set on surveilling the public. The council, however, is not a partisan body; its eight members didn’t run for office as Democrats, Republicans, or anything else. Many of these commenters also seemed to miss that most of the opposition to Flock was coming from the left. (The council ended up approving the $2 million camera contract in a 7-1 vote.)
Whether or not Houston flipped the bird on purpose, his doubling-down on the gesture is in line with the councilmember’s brash, in-your-face approach to politics, behavior his colleagues and the public have been noticing.
Councilmember Carroll Fife told CBS News that she recently talked to Houston about acting more professionally, worrying that the tenor of local discussions was beginning to mimic President Donald Trump’s rhetoric.
From his first day on council, Houston displayed a unique style. He turned his inaugural remarks into an emotional performance, stepping out from behind the dais in the council chamber and walking the floor, tearing up as he praised current and former colleagues.
In a foreshadowing of this week, Houston addressed the public.
“I am proud of this city, I am going to fight for this city. And let me tell you something. I have no filter. None,” he said at the time.
Houston told The Oaklandside that his passion and style are partially what got him elected.
“D7 voted for me because they knew I wasn’t gonna be apologetic,” he said.
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