UPDATE: Zennie Abraham meets, talks to, Henry Sintay, Jogger Joe.
UPDATE: Matt Nelson issues statement after arrest of Henry Sintay in Oakland.
The nightmare that was Henry Sintay AKA “Jogger Joe” ended at 1pm pst, Monday, June 11th, when he was arrested and taken to jail on a charge of 1st degree robbery. He was booked at 9:03 PM the same day and is in the Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility at 550 6th St, in Downtown Oakland. The bail amount required to release the man named Henry Williams Sintay was set at $100,000.
To recap, on Saturday, June 9th, Mr. Sintay took it upon himself to remove items belonging to an African American homeless man named “Drew” (and for which a Go-Fund-Me page was set up by Kenzie Smith, the man who was harrassed by “BBQ Becky” Jennifer Schulte), and toss them in Lake Merritt, and a nearby trash bin.
While “Drew” (UPDATE: his name is was Greg Markson) was not at the Lake Merritt Columns, where he occasionally sleeps, an Oaklander by the name of Matt Nelson was. As the video above shows, Mr. Nelson questioned Mr. Sintay about why he took the action of throwing a homeless person’s belongings into Lake Merritt, but originally unknown to Sintay, was making a Facebook live video of the conversation.
When Nelson wenr to greet Sintay, trying to fist bump him to hide the fact that he was recording the encounter live, Sintay (who asked another person to Nelson’s left “are you recording”), noticed the cell phone, and as the video shows, went to not only grab it, but assault Nelson in the process.
The charge of robbery and the $100,000 bail amount came from Mr. Sintay’s theft of Matt Nelson’s cell phone. In the video, the person who can be heard yelling “run” is not Nelson, but Sintay, and he’s calling out to an unidentified (as of this writing) friend. The question is who is his friend?
That Sintay is charged only with first degree roberry (at this point) and not assault, is just plain luck on his part. Because, as Matt reported on his Facebook profile, he would up taking a trip to the emergency room:
“Is this that same dude? UPDATE: Thank you, loved ones! And thanks especially to my amazing nephew, Theo! Henry and his “friend” assaulted me multiple times, I was also dragged by their moving vehicle and hit a few times in the head, but I’m safe now. Still do not have my phone. Please keep calling it and if Henry picks up, I’d like it back. I’ll continue to share the story and folks should feel free to reach out to me here or via email.”
And Nelson posted this yesterday, at 1 PM, ironically, the same time that Henry Sintay was being arrested:
“BRIEF UPDATE #3: I am recovering from a mild concussion, some cuts and bruises, and many sore and strained muscles. Your love, food, joy, outrage, companionship, laughter, rides, check-ins, insight, and incredible displays of compassion have helped me heal and prepared me for the work ahead. Deepest thanks to everyone who has reached out with love and support! You have taken care of me, and for this, I am deeply grateful. …And let’s not lose focus: HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT. While my wounds will heal, the deep wounds of inequality and injustice in #Oakland will fester unless we dramatically improve how we treat our neighbors who are unhoused, unsheltered, or on the verge of losing their housing. This is a moral and cultural issue and a reflection of our values as much (or more) than it is a policy and civil code issue. And our values and morals must guide our political decisions. We can do much better by our people. And to achieve this, we need you and the love you’ve shown me to lead us forward to a town rooted in full dignity and human rights for all.
Henry Williams Sintay Will Be Arraigned Wednesday, June 13th
According to the online inmate record, Henry Williams Sintay will be arrained Wednesday, June 13th at The Wiley Manuel Courthouse, Room 112, 900 Washington, Downtown Oakland.
Many Questions
There are a lot of questions still to be answered, like what happened to the friend that Sintay called out to in the video? Was he, too, arrested? Was he living in Oakland, because it’s clear Sintay did not have his own listed Oakland address? Whatever the case, about Sintay, this case is closed, and we have to thank the quick work of the Oakland Police Department.
UPDATE: The Judge should make #JoggerJoe Henry Sintay take the Oakland homeless man Greg Markson to Outside Lands 2018!
Stay tuned.