<p class="speakable">The leader of the Black Lives Matte<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/new-york-city" rel="noopener" target="_blank">r New York City</a> chapter on Monday turned himself in amid allegations of assaulting a Black man during a political rally last week – while speaking about the "Black faces of systemic oppression" and comparing himself to Martin Luther King Jr.</p><p class="speakable">Hawk Newsome was spotted in Harlem as he sought to surrender to authorities, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/10/27/us-news/ny-blm-leader-hawk-newsome-charged-with-assault/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter" rel="noopener" target="_blank">New York Post</a> reported.</p><p>He is accused of punching Manhattan Democratic District Leader William Allen as the protest descended into chaos Friday afternoon, sources told the newspaper.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/dc-black-lives-matter-plaza-get-new-look-replace-street-mural-part-evolution" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>DC BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAZA TO GET NEW LOOK, REPLACE STREET MURAL AS PART OF 'EVOLUTION'</strong></a></p><p>Newsome was with several activists when they swarmed Councilman Yusef Salaam’s Harlem office to object to a nonprofit leader having her community funding yanked.</p><p>On Monday, he went to the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/police-and-law-enforcement" rel="noopener" target="_blank">New York Police Department</a>’s 28th Precinct to voluntarily surrender to police. While speaking to supporters, Newsome compared himself to civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. as he criticized the charges against him.</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/washington-post-editorial-board-links-dc-mayors-decision-remove-blm-art-victory-city" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL BOARD LINKS DC MAYOR'S DECISION TO REMOVE BLM ART TO A ‘VICTORY FOR THE CITY’</strong></a></p><p>"Recognize this as a step in the right direction. Not only do we fight racism — systemic, Black racism — we fight the Black faces of systemic oppression," he said, according to the Post.</p><p>"Martin Luther King Jr. got <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/crime" rel="noopener" target="_blank">locked up</a> 26 times. Right? Twenty-six times for this. This is a sign that we are fighting," Newsome continued.</p><p>"This person is saying that I hit him, but there’s no video evidence of that. There are 30 cameras out there. Nobody has a video of that. The only thing that was hurt was his pride."</p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</u></strong></a></p><p>Newsome’s supporters also claimed the charges were "trumped up" and "politically motivated."</p><p>In a statement to the newspaper, Tiffany Fulton, executive director of Silent Voices United Inc., – a group that recently had its funding cut – accused others of inciting the chaos during the demonstration. </p><p>"To see this kind of political weaponization in Harlem is heartbreaking," Fulton said in a statement to the newspaper. "We are witnessing firsthand how speaking truth to power comes with consequences when the system feels threatened."</p>