October 21, 2020
The
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INSIDE L O C A L N E W S
Week in Review
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Dominique DeWeese (from left), Rose Wakefield, Marquita Corley and Benita Presley were
all victims of recent cases of discrimination, according to four lawsuits showing how they
were denied service based on the color of their skin.
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Discrimination Cases Explode
M ETRO
‘Shopping while Black’
lawsuits sound alarm
M iChael l eighton
P ortland o bserver e ditor
A Portland lawyer specializing in discrimina-
tion cases is sounding the alarm over a rash of
recent racial discrimination claims.
Greg Kafoury reported that in more than 40
years of practicing law, he has not seen cases with
the “straightforward racism” he is seeing now.
His office, Kafoury & McDougal, has filed
four “Shopping While Black” lawsuits in the last
week. In each of them, the victims were denied
service based on the color of their skin by Cauca-
sian employees, Kafoury said.
In one case, Dominique DeWeese was trying
by
Arts &
page 6-8
ENTERTAINMENT
to buy gas in a container to put into his lawmow-
er when he was refused service because the em-
ployee said he was a “black lives protester” who
would use it to light dumpsters on fire across the
city, Kafoury said. A video shows the employee
repeatedly mocking DeWeese and threatening to
call the police.
In another case, Rose Wakefield needed gas on
her way to work and was allegedly denied service
at a Jackson Food Stores Gas Station in Tanas-
bourne.
Kafoury said after the employee refused her
service but served several white drivers who ar-
rived after her, Wakefield went inside to complain
and the manager dismissed her. When she con-
fronted the gas attendant, he allegedly laughed
C ontinued on P age 4
NAACP Leader Steps Down
Denies sex abuse
allegations;
won’t run again
O PINION
C LASSIFIED /B IDS
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The president of the Portland
NAACP announced his resigna-
tion Tuesday amid allegations of
sexual misconduct.
In a statement, the NAACP
said Rev. E.D. Mondainé an-
nounced his immediate resigna-
tion as president of the Portland
chapter.
“The NAACP is firmly op-
posed to all forms of abuse, as-
sault, harassment, or discrimina-
tion. Such behavior has no place
in the Association, regardless
of whether these instances oc-
curred in previous or current ad-
ministrations,” the NAACP said.
The Portland chapter said it
will continue to investigate the
allegations, saying they will take
further action if necessary.
A report in the Portland Mer-
cury last week detailed claims
of sexual and physical assault
E.D. Mondainé
by Mondainé from former pa-
rishioners at Celebration Taber-
nacle, the church he leads in the
Kenton neighborhood of north
Portland.
The newspaper said it spoke
to three men who say they were
repeatedly sexually and phys-
ically assaulted by Mondainé
during a period of time spanning
the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s.
In a press conference last
week, Mondainé strongly denied
any wrongdoing, but said he
was choosing to remove himself
from running for another term as
chapter president in a vote next
month, and charged that he was
a victim of cancel culture. He
attributed the Mercury story to
a relationship from two decades
ago that he said “ended poorly
and rocked the congregation.”
Mondainé’s candidacy was
already under attack from
some NAACP members who
were running under the banner
Rise Up PDX, accusing him of
mis-spending NAACP money
and mistreating members with
physical assaults. The group also
criticized him for his involve-
ment in supporting Mayor Ted
Wheeler’s re-election in which
the NAACP seal was used in
campaign materials. NAACP
rules do not allow the organiza-
tion to endorse candidates.
On the allegations of sexu-
al misconduct, Mondainé was
quoted as saying “It’s not true.
There’s no truth to it. People can
say whatever they need to say.
I’ve never abused anyone.”