Sudanese community 'stunned' by weekend attack
Darfur activist's brother in 3-day coma after Old Port beating
Sudanese community leaders are challenging Portland Police to "step up" in investigating a weekend beating that left the brother of a high-profile Darfur activist in a coma for three days, but police say they have no record of the attack.
"Why is this the first story about this incident?" asked John Branson, a Portland attorney who has been general counsel for the Sudanese Community Council of Portland, an umbrella organization for various groups. "This happened Friday. Why did this story get missed?"
The story in question is the apparent Friday night assault of Najmeldin Arbab, 24, near Boothby Square in the Old Port. Police on Monday said they have no official report of the incident.
El Fadel Arbab, a speaker who has gained attention as a survivor of the Darfur genocide, said he was out of town when his brother was attacked and offered few details. He said the younger Arbab was attacked from behind and struck on the head by what was believed to be "one or two people."
It's still not clear how Najmeldin Arbab was transported to the hospital. Reports that police officers transported him to the hospital couldn't be verified.
Portland Police Capt. Ted Ross, who heads the detective division, said Monday he hadn't seen any reports or heard about an assault or incident Friday night resembling the one described by a reporter. "I have nothing on it," he said, adding that he checked with the duty lieutenant from Friday, who apparently had not heard about the incident either.
Friends of the family said Najmeldin Arbab remained in a coma until Monday and that hospital officials are "worried" about the prospect of permanent brain injury.
Branson, stressing that he was speaking as a friend of the Sudanese community and not as a family spokesperson, voiced frustration that the assault was "not big news" but added it was an opportunity for police.
Wells Staley-Mays, a local activist with close ties to the city's Somali and Sudanese communities, said Monday word was just started to get out about the incident, but that those who know about it are "stunned."
He said it's possible family members never filled out a police report, which explains why police have no record of the incident. "I'm not sure they know to fill out a police report, not sure if they know to do that. We're talking about people who don't speak English as a first language, and they are supposed to fill out the form without a translator? I mean, give me a break," he said.
Some are already worried the incident will reignite longstanding tensions between police and the Sudanese community. Despite recent attempts at community outreach, including high-level meetings hosted by Portland Police Chief James Craig, many Sudanese believe they are subject to police profiling and that decry a lack of police progress on crimes against Sudanese.
Branson articulated the frustration but added that "a new chief with a new commitment" deserves a chance.
He also raised questions about the amount of attention the attack received in local media, noting that such attacks frequently lead broadcast news reports and earn front-page attention. He suggested other crimes against Sudanese have received less attention than if they happened to other residents.
Both Branson and family members said it was too early to assert that the attack was racially motivated or that Arbab was individually targeted for attack.
Even so, the incident remains troubling for some in the Sudanese community.
Staley-Mays said this incident closely resembled one from November, 2007, where 26-year-old Edward Okeny was found bleeding and unconscious at 2 a.m. on a city sidewalk. Okeny, who suffered a serious head injury, died after spending three weeks in a coma. It's never been determined whether Okeny, whose wallet had been rifled-through, died of a fall or an attack, according to media reports from the time.
This type of incident "has happened to the Sudanese people before ... last year and the year before," El Fadel Arbab said Monday. He added, "They are being hit and nobody knows who is doing it, and that is what we worry about. We don't know how it's happening."
