On Monday, the head of the Black Lives Matter chapter in New York City, Hawk Newsome, turned himself in following accusations of assaulting a Black individual at a recent political rally. During the event, Newsome spoke about “Black faces of systemic oppression” and likened his situation to that of Martin Luther King Jr.

According to the New York Post, Newsome was seen in Harlem as he prepared to hand himself over to the authorities.

He is alleged to have struck Manhattan Democratic District Leader William Allen during a protest that turned tumultuous last Friday, sources informed the newspaper.

Notably, Nick Cannon joined Hawk Newsome from Black Lives Matter in Greater New York at the rally. (Getty Images)

The incident occurred as Newsome, alongside several activists, gathered at Councilman Yusef Salaam’s Harlem office. They were protesting a decision to revoke community funding from a local nonprofit leader.

On Monday, he went to the New York Police Department’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.

Hawk Newsome, President of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, in Times Square for a demonstration to announced their plan to enact Law Enforcement Reform Policies and the “I CAN’T BREATHE ACT.” The law would take actions against police violence.  (Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“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.

“Martin Luther King Jr. got locked up 26 times. Right? Twenty-six times for this. This is a sign that we are fighting,” Newsome continued.

“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.”

Hawk Newsome (C) leads a chant during a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters)

Newsome’s supporters also claimed the charges were “trumped up” and “politically motivated.”

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. 

“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.”