Most people living in Oregon know something about the state’s explicitly racist history. The use of Black Exclusion and so-called Sundown Town discriminatory laws, the gross mistreatment of Chinese immigrants, and the genocidal mistreatment of Indigenous communities are well known. History has a way of leaking its darkest secrets, no matter how covert.
In recent years, Oregon’s racist undercurrents have also emerged more visually, with public demonstrations on display by hate groups like the Proud Boys and Patriot Front. But what may go unnoticed for many are the more systemic ways that racism, specifically toward African Americans, has continued within Oregon’s rural regions and justice systems.
One recent example of blatant racism in the Rogue Valley includes the case of Brian “Hakiym” Simpson. A firefighter, father of four, poet, and civil rights activist, Hakiym experienced first-hand the way racial bias can impact the justice system when he was convicted of felony assault after defending himself during a racially motivated attack in Josephine County last year.
The case and court proceedings displayed a gross miscarriage of justice. Whether it was the biased police report based on the aggressor’s statement and that of a witness who later, in court, admitted he had falsified information given to the police, the initial charges filed by the prosecutor on behalf of the so-called victim, or the all-white jury, the cards were stacked against him. The terms for his incarceration, including a hefty 70-month sentence, locked Hakiym away in a notoriously racist prison environment at Snake River Penitentiary.
“Justice for Hakiym” Campaign Emerges
Details about the events that transpired that dreaded evening near Grants Pass in a wildland firefighter dormitory have become increasingly clear, but with no change in outcome for Hakiym.
A statement by the campaign describes the scene:
“Wildlands firefighter Brian ‘Hakiym’ Simpson was the victim of an aggressive attack at his workplace by another firefighter,” the statement reads. “Unprovoked, the aggressor singled Simpson out from other firefighters, repeatedly yelling racial slurs and pressing him to fight him, as witnessed by other crew members.”
According to Hakiym and other witnesses, even as Hakiym attempted to distance himself from the attacker, he was relentlessly pursued. Fearing for his life and unaware of whether the attacker was armed, Hakiym defended himself and injured his attacker, breaking his jaw and nose.
Throughout the court proceeding, the public defender did not introduce key evidence and testimony that could have shifted the jury’s perception of the incident. The attacker admitted starting the fight, throwing the first punch, using several racial slurs and, once Hakiym had disengaged he (the aggressor) chased him down a quarter mile driveway. One juror reportedly told the defense attorney that the all-white jury “didn’t trust” the single witness that testified for the defense: another Black firefighter.
BASE Southern Oregon has created a campaign web page that includes an online letter to Governor Kotek to plead with her to immediately exonerate Hakiym and vacate his sentence. Please consider learning more and signing the petition, on the Justice for Hakiym webpage.
