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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2013)
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COM N OVEMBER 13, 2013 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 6 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Home Lender Apology AIR MEN Nationstar Mortgage loses court battle with homeowner Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News PHOTO BY LISA LOVING A mid charges of fraud and elder abuse, Delaware-based Nationstar Mortgage, Inc., has issued a public apology and settled out of court with a Northeast Portland couple who faced the loss of their family’s home of 50 years. “I feel like Nationstar did the right thing,” said attorney Michael Fuller, who represent- ed Michael and Judith McEldery. “It’s the first public apology I’ve ever seen as part of the resolution in a case like this.” As The Skanner News reported in August, the McElderys were sued by Nationstar for allegedly defaulting on a mortgage loan the couple took out to pay for repairs on Judith’s mother’s home; the couple original- ly took out the loan from a company called World Mortgage, but the debt was resold several times until it came to rest with Nationstar. The situation unfolded, Judith McEldery said, as the cost of the loan kept rising and the McElderys struggled to get Nationstar to the table to modify it, which a company rep- resentative had promised they would do. Legal documents show the case hinged on two “misrepresentations” Nationstar made to the McElderys: Firstly, the company assigned the McElderys a specific contact person who would negotiate with them for a loan modification – but that person was never available and their voicemail was always full. Secondly, Nationstar told the McElderys that if they complied with the loan modifi- cation process they would, in fact, get one; however, their attorney argued that the cou- ple complied with every request Nationstar made, but did not receive the promised loan modification. Fuller announced the settlement Friday. Financial details were kept under wraps but the lawsuit had demanded “actual damages, treble damages, punitive damages, declara- Tuskegee Airman Ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson visited Portland Community College Nov. 7, and gave an inspirational talk to the public and students from the Airway Science program. Organized by educator Michael Chappie Grice, the program works with youth from local schools using flight simulators to teach students how to fly a plane as they learn the science behind aviation. Veterans Bob Boyer, vice commander, Jerome Cox Tanner, Ron Webb and other NABVETS members were among the audience, along with Rep. Lew Frederick. Portland Community College President Jeremy Brown introduced the distinguished airman. No Leads in Triple Shooting Outside Club OLCC shuts down Fontaine Bleau nightclub after less than a year Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News I n the wake of a tragic shoot- ing that claimed the life of a local father of two last week- end, the Portland Police and the Oregon Liquor Control Com- mission have shut down the Fontaine Bleau nightclub. The last known Black-owned bar in Northeast Portland, the Fontaine Bleau opened in Janu- ary. The OLCC cited a “history of serious persistent problems,” listing five incidents over six See LOAN on page 3 INDEX News ......................2,3 Opinion ..................4,5 Health ....................6-8 A & E .......................10 Bids/Classifieds ........11 Food........................12 months. A spokeswoman for the agency said that is probably because officials rushed to get the closure notice out – it went up just hours after the shooting — and they may have left inci- dents off the list in their haste. She said another citation is coming against the bar and it will be more complete. Durieul Harris, 30, was killed by an unidentified gunman out- side the Fontaine Bleau in the early hours of Nov. 9; wounded in the shooting were Fredrick Glenn Conner, 44, and Shelia Renee Shelby, 50. Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson would not comment on the investigation but no leads have been announced in the case. Images taken by KGW show at least one woman in handcuffs on the scene but Simpson said there were no arrests. A notice taped to the door of the Fontaine Bleau says the shutdown notice was delivered “in person” to “licensee Dewalt.” The police are appealing to anyone with tips about the inci- dent to call detectives; Simpson said he doesn’t know if officers talked to DeWalt or not. After obtaining an attorney, Fontaine Bleau owner Rodney DeWalt would not comment for the record, but his associate, Black business advocate Skip Osborne, said neither Portland police nor OLCC officials have actually spoken to DeWalt him- self about the notice or the closure. See BAR on page 3 Five Ways to End the New Jim Crow Experts offer five things you can do to stop mass incarceration By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News T he Partnership for Safety and Justice held a panel discussion on “Ending the New Jim Crow—Healing our Jus- tice System,” Nov. 5 at First Unitarian Church in Portland. Moderator Rep. Lew Frederick asked each panelist to offer one thing we can do to end the new Jim Crow. Moderator Rep. Lew Frederick asked each panelist to offer one thing we can do to end the new Jim Crow. Here’s the list: 1. Shannon Wight, deputy director of Part- nership for Safety and Justice: Build momentum to reform Measure 11. “Measure 11 has an incredibly dispropor- tionate impact on people of color. Youth end up with a felony on their records which is life ruining. We are ruining young peoples’ lives. It’s not right to saddle youth with a lifelong felony.” Passed by initiative in 1994 Measure 11 imposes mandatory minimums for crimes that are considered person-to-person, and says youth must be tried as if they were adults for those crimes. Judges can’t use See JUSTICE on page 3
