The forum was supposed to be about county government. It ended with Democrat Kisha Skipper in handcuffs, her opponent’s mother in an ambulance, and a fight that started in the bathroom.
Skipper is challenging Republican incumbent James Nolan for the District 15 seat on the Westchester County Legislature, and she has led the Yonkers branch of the NAACP. The forum ran Wednesday night at the Beczak Environmental Center in Yonkers.
It went sideways during the debate, when Skipper got pressed about alleged questionable donations to her campaign. She took a break and headed for the restroom without answering. Attendees say Nolan’s mother, Donna, and another woman followed her in, and the argument in there turned into punches.
Phone video shows a commotion at the restroom doorway as attendees pulled the women apart. Attendees say Donna Nolan came out bloody and left in an ambulance. Officers handcuffed Skipper and walked her out to a patrol car, and in video from outside, she says Donna Nolan assaulted her.
“Skipper got locked up, and my mother went to the hospital. Skipper is on video throwing the first punch.”
James Nolan, to local reporters Wednesday night
Nolan piled on afterward, saying there is “absolutely no justification for violence” and calling the fight “a clear example of why she is not fit to serve public office.”
A few hours later Skipper told it differently, filming herself outside a hospital emergency entrance with her right arm in a sling.
“No, I was not arrested. Yes, I was detained pending an investigation. Of course, I was released, and there will be more information forthcoming.”
Kisha Skipper, in her statement video
Yonkers police had not put out a statement by Thursday, so who threw the first punch is still his word against hers. Early voting starts Saturday, Election Day is November 3, and this race is already the wildest one in Westchester.
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