Who is Collier Gwin? San Francisco art gallery owner sprays homeless woman with hose in viral video, sparks mass outrage

Collier Gwin, the owner of Foster Gwin Gallery in San Francisco, was seen spraying a homeless woman with a hose outside of a restaurant as temperatures hit 49°.

In the now-viral video, he is seen casually leaning against the gate of a restaurant and blasting a woman with a garden hose as she screams in fright.

In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, after claiming to be the man in the video, Gwin refused to apologize and defended his actions by stating that the woman was psychotic and began turning over garbage cans. He also claimed to have asked the woman to move several times so he could clean the streets, but she would not oblige and began to attack him instead. So, in an act of retaliation, he hosed her.

He said:

"I said, 'You have to move, I cannot clean the street, move down.' She starts screaming bellingent things, spitting, yelling at me... at that point she was so out of control... I spray her with the hose and say, 'Move, move. I will help you.'"

Collier Gwin with a few of his patrons (Image via Getty/Julissa James)

Collier Gwin also claimed to have attempted to help her move several times prior to the incident.

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Gallery Owner Collier Gwin faces possible changes for hosing a homeless woman down

The only personal information known about the man in San Francisco who was seen hosing down a homeless woman in the financial district is that his name is Collier Gwin and that he is the owner of a posh art gallery.

Foster Gwin Gallery has been running since 1984 and has brought in A-list clients such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Rockefeller. The gallery's social media pages have been taken down since the incident occurred.

Foster Gwin Gallery (L) and Collier Gwin (R) (Image via fostergwin.com)

Several other shop owners on the street have condemned Gwin's actions. Arash Ghanadan, owner of the Barbarossa Lounge - the restaurant Gwin was standing outside when the incident took place - denounced all connections to the event. They corroborated Gwin's statement of the woman being present for several days but also believed that the actions taken against her were inappropriate.

In addition to store owners, several netizens also shared their opinions on the events that transpired. A number of people have been sharing videos and images of Gwin online to raise awareness regarding the situation and claim that his actions should be considered assault, given the temperature at the time.

The video comes amid a growing homelessness crisis in San Francisco. Business owners have threatened to stop paying taxes if the government does not offer ways to clean up the streets and prevent people from openly consuming drugs.

Collier Gwin maintained his non-apologetic stance and claimed that while his actions were a little harsh, they were a last resort and justified.