Black Lives Matter Founder Engages in Physical Altercation Over Financial Allegations
A founder of a Black Lives Matter chapter in Illinois was captured on surveillance video in a violent office confrontation with a female employee who accused him of misusing the organization's money, according to police reports. The incident, which involved shoving, grabbing, and a physical struggle along a corridor at the group's headquarters, has raised questions about financial management within the activist group.
Police Respond to Battery Report at Resource Center
On January 12, police in Waukegan, Illinois, were called to the Black Lives Matter Lake County Resource Center following reports of a battery involving the group's founder, Clyde J. McLemore, and project manager Nyesha A. Hill. Surveillance footage and police reports detail a heated confrontation that escalated into a physical fight inside McLemore's office, with both individuals stating the altercation stemmed from a dispute about money.
According to a police report obtained by the Lake and McHenry County Scanner, McLemore told responding officers that Hill stormed into his office while he was working on his computer and began demanding money and cigarettes. He claimed he told her he had neither and asked her to leave. Body-camera footage shows McLemore telling officers that the organization 'ain't got no money,' adding that funds from a grant had already been spent. 'That money is gone,' McLemore said in the footage.
Conflicting Accounts of the Altercation
McLemore told police he put on his jacket to leave the office when the situation escalated. According to the police report, he said Hill grabbed him by the hood and struck him in the face, triggering a struggle between the two. The pair began pushing and shoving each other around the office before McLemore ultimately called 911. Officers observed that McLemore had visible injuries, including a scratch on his forehead and lip. Despite the injuries, he told police he did not want to press charges.
When officers interviewed Hill, she provided a sharply different version of events, focusing on allegations about the organization's finances. Hill told police she works for McLemore as a project manager and had gone into his office to ask why she had not been paid. According to body camera footage cited in the report, Hill told officers she confronted McLemore about how money connected to Black Lives Matter was being used.
'I told him, "It's not fair that I come here and I work and you running around taking care of other things that don't got nothing to do with Black Lives Matter with Black Lives Matter money,"' Hill said, according to the footage. 'I'm the one that make this joint work,' she added. Hill told officers she refused to leave the office until she received the money she said she was owed.
Surveillance Footage Captures Violent Struggle
Hill alleged the fight began when McLemore got up from his chair and pushed her with his hands in an attempt to force her out of the room. She said the confrontation quickly escalated into a physical struggle between the two. Police observed that Hill had a scratch on her lip and several broken fingernails after the fight. Like McLemore, Hill also declined to pursue charges. She told officers she 'does not want to see a black man in jail,' but asked that a police report and witness statement be taken.
Because both individuals had injuries and their accounts of the altercation conflicted, officers said they did not have probable cause to make an arrest. Instead, police advised both parties to avoid contact and informed them about how to obtain an order of protection.
Previous Violent Clash and Financial Disputes
The January confrontation was not the only violent clash between the two captured on video. Police later obtained surveillance footage showing a separate physical fight between Hill and McLemore inside the same office months earlier. Authorities said the earlier video shows another struggle between the pair that also stemmed from a dispute about money. It remains unclear exactly when that incident occurred, with Hill telling police the video was from November 24, McLemore saying it happened on November 2, and the timestamp on the recording listing October 24.
Detectives obtained the footage after responding to the January 12 incident. When investigators later spoke to McLemore about the earlier altercation, he told them his office surveillance system only retains footage for about two months and that he did not have a copy of the recording. He also told detectives there was no surveillance video of the January fight because the altercation occurred inside his office, which is not covered by cameras.
Allegations of Financial Misconduct
The footage and body-camera recordings also captured Hill telling officers that the pair had clashed repeatedly over finances tied to the organization. According to the footage, Hill told officers she frequently argued with McLemore over not being paid for her work while she struggled to support her child. In her statement to police, Hill also alleged that she had seen McLemore spend money intended for Black Lives Matter activities on other things, including 'girls' and gambling.
Legal Aftermath and Prior Histories
Court records show the dispute later spilled into the legal system. McLemore subsequently went to the Lake County Courthouse and obtained an emergency stalking no-contact order against Hill. Both individuals involved in the altercation have prior legal histories. Court records show McLemore was sentenced in October 2024 to 40 days in jail for taking photographs inside the Lake County Circuit Court and posting them online in violation of courthouse rules. He later posted a video acknowledging the incident and saying, 'I do what I want to do.'
McLemore has also previously been arrested for trespassing during a Waukegan City Council meeting in October 2022 and for participating in civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in February 2021. Hill also has a criminal history with records showing she was previously charged in a kidnapping case in Zion in June 2020 in which prosecutors alleged she and an accomplice beat a victim and demanded a ransom for his release. She was later sentenced to more than four years in prison in that case.
McLemore currently serves as a member of the Lake County Regional Board of School Trustees while also leading the Black Lives Matter Lake County chapter. The incident highlights ongoing tensions within activist organizations over financial transparency and management practices.
