North Charleston City Council members Michael Brown Jr. (District 7) and Nefertiti Brown were involved in an alleged altercation at Lake Effect bar in Salt Lake City, Utah, around midnight on November 21, 2025, during the National League of Cities summit. Brown Jr. was there presenting on religion, spirituality, and politics, following a prior verbal disagreement at the event. Salt Lake City police classified it as simple assault, with both filing reports claiming injury and self-defense.​
Conflicting Accounts
Michael Brown Jr. alleged Nefertiti Brown aggressively approached him at the bar, poked his face, pressed against him while yelling profanities, kneed him in the groin three times, punched toward his jaw, and threatened, “I’m going to have somebody to kill y’all,” witnessed by others including mayors and council members. He said he grabbed her sleeves to remove her hands but avoided further contact to not appear as the aggressor, then left after security intervention.​
Nefertiti Brown claimed she tried to de-escalate by leaving but that Brown Jr. brushed his hand across her face, grabbed her wrist, dug nails into it causing swelling and visible marks, and squeezed until she pulled away. She spoke to security, believed video captured the incident, and initially did not want charges but documented it.​
Current Status
Brown Jr. initially sought the report for PR and insurance but later expressed intent to press charges, consulting prosecutors. No arrests reported; investigation ongoing as simple assault. Both addressed it at a recent North Charleston council meeting.
