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Demetria Hester speaks at Jeremy Christian’s sentencing on Tuesday.
Killer Taunts Victim
c ontinued froM f ront
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As Hester was making her vic-
tims statement, she told Christian
“You are a waste of breath and
when you die and go to hell, I
hope you rot.” He then erupted
out of his chair and started shout-
ing profanity at her. The judge
ordered him removed, and as he
was whisked out of the court-
room by sheriff’s deputies, he
yelled out to Hester, “I should
have killed you!”
Multnomah County Judge
Cheryl Albrecht told Christian he
had been warned not to be disrup-
tive and she would not allow him
to return to the courtroom for the
rest of the hearing. But after oth-
er witnesses indicted they wanted
Christian to hear their victim tes-
timonies, she allowed Christian
to be connected by video only
while seated in another room.
That caused another delay.
Hester also spoke to the in-
justice against African American
like herself, accusing the crimi-
nal justice system, police and the
judge in the case of bias against
people who are black, accommo-
dating a white defendant rights to
espouse white supremacy speech
over the terror it causes.
Christian could be sentenced
to life in prison with no chance of
parole for the first degree murders
of Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23,
and Ricky Best, 53. But defense
attorneys say the judge can only
hand him a life sentence with the
Toppled in Protest
c ontinued froM f ront
cally prominent African American
school and neighborhood.
The school has also had oth-
er discussions about removing
the statute and/or changing the
school’s name, but black residents
and others had differing opinions
and no long term determination
was ever made.
The “action” to remove the
statute without permission by pro-
testers, puts the issue back before
the school community and neigh-
borhood, the principal said.
“We’re working it through,”
Calvert told the Portland Observer.
“It’s complicated. It’s important to
listen to the black community. We
possible of release after 30 years,
claiming the law is unconstitu-
tional and ignores past Supreme
Court decisions.
Christian was found guilty ear-
lier this year on 12 counts, includ-
ing those murders and attempted
murder, as well as assault and in-
timidation.
Sentencing was originally
scheduled for March but was can-
celed and rescheduled due to the
coronavirus pandemic. Only 19
people were in Judge Albrecht’s
courtroom Tuesday in an effort
to ensure physical distancing is
maintained during the proceed-
ing.
The sentencing hearing was
scheduled to resume Wednesday
morning.
have to unpack what’s going on.
The goal is to heal ultimately.”
Calvert said the nightly pro-
tests against unjust racism and
police brutality in Portland, en-
tering the fourth week on Mon-
day after the Memorial Day
police custody death of George
Floyd in Minneapolis and other
killings of African Americans at
the hands of police, “Is bringing
racism into focus. We are in a de-
fining moment.”
Employee Claims Racism by Supervisor
A former Fred Meyer employ-
ee who says he was fired after he
complained about a pattern of rac-
ism at work has filed a $2 million
lawsuit against the grocery store
chain.
Michael Mangum, who is 26
and African American, says in the
lawsuit filed last week that he and
other employees complained to
higher ups, but Fred Meyer retal-
iated by ending his employment.
Mangum worked in the produce
department of the Interstate store
from 2014 to 2019, according to
his suit.
Among other racist comments,
Mangum’s suit says his manager
had commented to him that the
African American shoppers were
buying up the watermelons and
collard greens and when he saw
black women shopping he would
tell Mangum that his mother was
in the store, according to the law-
suit. The manager said it was a
joke, according to an investigation
by the Oregon Bureau of Labor
and Industries.
The state agency sided with
Mangum finding “substantial ev-
idence” that Mangum was “sub-
jected to increased scrutiny”
after he complained, and that
Mangum “was terminated as a
result.”
In a response to BOLI, Fred
Meyer said it gave the manag-
er a verbal warning about one
comment. The BOLI investigator
found that Fred Meyer’s response
to the manager -- or at least the
file documenting the company’s
response -- was lacking.
--Associated Press