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N OVEMBER 13, 2013
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXV, N O . 6
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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