An Oregon jury recommended this week that a judge grant a Black firefighter $275,000 for the racial discrimination he faced after he suffered years of racist comments and jokes from his supervisors and colleagues, and was denied a promotion opportunity.
Jason Wilson filed a lawsuit against the city of Portland in February 2024, alleging repeated racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation within the Portland Fire Bureau. Wilson, 41, is a former U.S. Marine who joined the fire department in 2007 and became a fire inspector in 2019, the Oregonian reported.
His suit, cited by KOIN, states that a now-retired fire captain made inappropriate, racist comments regularly and also made derogatory remarks about Wilson’s daughter.
The complaint noted one instance in which the former captain once called any Black person in a baseball cap a “gang member,” and once delivered a joke, asking, “Where’s the most dangerous place for a Black baby?” then finishing with the punchline, “In its mother’s belly.”
Wilson also included one incident in 2017 when a lieutenant allegedly said, “Black firefighters have ‘Black anger.’”
Wilson and five other Black firefighters also testified about these racist remarks to a jury.
“The insults and verbal attacks that we put up, that we have to deal with just to do our job, being told jokes that insult you, your mother, and your children,” Wilson remarked, likening the job to an experience of “having your dream job and hating to go to work.”
Wilson said when he reported the alleged misconduct in October 2023 to a fire marshal, he was removed from his job on the inspection, testing, and maintenance team four days later. He said he was told the decision was made to “avoid favoritism.”
He also alleged that the fire department was committing unlawful activity. He noted one instance in June 2023 when fire investigators asked to accompany him “into a private premises under the guise of performing a fire inspection so they could get the ‘lay of the land’ and look for stolen cars.”
Wilson reported the request to supervisors because he believed the activity would be illegal, but he said they ignored his concerns.
In July 2023, Wilson said he and a Black colleague were passed over for a specialized fire inspector position, classified as a “premium pay assignment.” Instead, the position was given to two of their white colleagues, one of whom was still on probation. Wilson said this was part of a pattern at the fire bureau in which white firefighters were often given training, promotions, and even answers to interview questions over Black firefighters.
The jury said the city’s hiring process for the specialised fire inspector position was potentially retaliatory due to Wilson’s previous complaints he made to supervisors, but wavered at finding Wilson was denied the promotion due to race.
Wilson’s suit sought $1.2 million in damages.
The Portland Fire Bureau has not commented on the trial outcome, and the city of Portland said it’s reviewing the Multnomah County jury’s June 2 decision.
Tony Freeman, the chair of legal redress for the Portland NAACP, stated that this case exemplifies systemic injustices that target Black communities:
“I attended the trial to support Jason Wilson, not only as a fellow veteran but also as Chair of Legal Redress for the Portland NAACP. Oregon has a documented history rooted in exclusion laws targeting Black and Brown communities, and while we recognize efforts toward progress, there remains a systemic fog that protects the status quo. My role in Legal Redress—and my oath to the NAACP—is to shine a light on these deeply rooted injustices. This case is not an outlier; it is a call to action.”
