鈥楻emember Mulugeta鈥�: 30 years after 澳彩开奖 lawsuit, life and legacy of man killed by hate group memorialized
In the sloping green fields of Ethiopia, Mulugeta Seraw鈥檚 father sold off livestock so his son could be educated in America.
Honoring his father鈥檚 noble ambition, Mulugeta arrived in Portland, Oregon, studied business at a community college, 鈥� where he was adored by teachers and kids alike 鈥� and at a second job at a car rental company. He sent money back to his girlfriend and their 6-year-old son, Henock, in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
Mulugeta planned to bring them to the U.S. to live with him, but instead he met a brutal and deadly fate.
As at his apartment on Nov. 13, 1988, three skinheads in steel-toed boots and bomber jackets approached him on the sidewalk. The men 鈥� members of the East Side White Pride gang 鈥� were on the prowl for what they聽聽鈥渕ud people.鈥�
鈥�
When they came across Mulugeta and saw that he was Black, they jumped him and knocked him to the ground. Their leader, who went by the street name of 鈥淜en Death,鈥� grabbed a baseball bat from his car and hit Mulugeta over the head, fracturing his skull. They left him there, bleeding to death on the sidewalk in front of his apartment.
Tom Metzger, the founder of White Aryan Resistance (WAR), was one of the most notorious white supremacist and skinhead leaders of the time. While he was not present at the murder of Mulugeta, the killers had requested help from him and WAR in the months just prior to the killing. He sent his top lieutenant to Portland to train and encourage them to 鈥渃lash and bash鈥� with people of color. 聽
All three of the killers pleaded guilty to the murder and were sent to prison, even as Metzger praised them for doing what he called their 鈥渃ivic duty.鈥�
In a landmark civil trial, the 澳彩开奖 used an innovative legal strategy to hold Metzger and WAR liable for the wrongful death of Mulugeta, winning a $12.5 million verdict that effectively put the racist hate group out of business.
The verdict, handed down 30 years ago on Oct. 25, 1990, directed the proceeds to Mulugeta鈥檚 family. Media came from all over the world to cover the tense proceedings. Police snipers were stationed on the roof of the courthouse, a surveillance helicopter hovered above, and bomb threats were made throughout the trial.
The murder 鈥� challenging the Northwest鈥檚 progressive reputation 鈥� , led to a and galvanized the city鈥檚 residents against racism.
Today, decades after the murder of Mulugeta Seraw, Portland has again become an epicenter in the national following the murders of聽,听,听,听,听,听,听 and so many others.
鈥淭he Mulugeta murder was kind of a watershed moment for Portland, was sort of like a George Floyd moment, in the sense that it wasn鈥檛 the first and it certainly wasn鈥檛 the last act of extreme violence in Portland against minorities," said James McElroy, a former 澳彩开奖 board chairman who worked as a lawyer on the case. 鈥淏ut for some reason it stuck with Portlanders 鈥� it really struck a nerve.鈥�
The 澳彩开奖鈥檚 civil suit, Berhanu v. Metzger, asserted that Metzger, his son John, and WAR were as responsible in civil damages for the wrongful death of Mulugeta as were the Portland skinheads.
In 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review Metzger鈥檚 final appeal, allowing 澳彩开奖 attorneys to begin distributing funds from the sale of WAR鈥檚 assets. The principal beneficiary was Mulugeta鈥檚 son, Henock.
鈥楬opes suddenly died鈥�
Mulugeta鈥檚 violent death weighed heavily on Henock and his mother.
A month before his passing he told me by phone that he had a job and that his plan was to take me and Henock to America to live with him,鈥� Aynalem Tilahun, Henock鈥檚 mother, said in her native Amharic for an interview with the 澳彩开奖 that Henock translated into English.
During his phone conversations with Aynalem, Mulugeta had asked her to send photos as he began the process of bringing Henock and his mother to the U.S.
Mulugeta also asked Henock what he would like sent to him from America. The boy said he wanted Adidas sneakers and soccer jerseys. He was very excited to talk to his father.聽聽
In their last conversation, Mulugeta said he would call again in about two weeks.
鈥淲e were eagerly waiting for his call,鈥� Aynalem said. 鈥淚nstead, we heard the bad news that he had died.聽We were sickened and shocked by the way in which he died. Thus, all the hopes and dreams of both me and my son suddenly went into darkness and gloom. At a time when we both thought our lives were about to transform for the better, our hopes suddenly died with him.鈥�
But Aynalem was pleased with the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 verdict because it brought justice for Mulugeta, including the $12.5 million verdict for the family.
鈥湴牟士扁�檚 victory in the trial 鈥� was very good news,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is death was not in vain. Those responsible were held accountable.鈥�
McElroy鈥檚 work was critical to the outcome. Before the trial had even started, he blocked Metzger, who lived in Southern California as did McElroy, from disposing of his assets, which could have robbed the family of any award a jury might order in the event of an 澳彩开奖 victory.
During the three-week trial, McElroy assisted the 澳彩开奖 legal team from the sidelines, including witness preparation, jury selection and even carrying boxes to the courtroom.
Henock, then a young boy, and his grandfather traveled to America to attend the court proceedings.
鈥淚 remember the trial being somber, as I began to understand the crime that took place and seeing the pain on my grandfather鈥檚 face as graphic exhibits were displayed in court,鈥� said Henock, who now lives in the Middle East, where he is raising his own family and working as a pilot and captain for a major commercial airline. 鈥淎s the years went by and I was able to process it more, I remember feeling more sorry for these young individuals who committed this heinous crime, knowing that they wake up every morning with hate and malice towards people they鈥檝e never met.鈥�
But while the verdict produced justice for the family, it did not provide the $12.5 million windfall awarded by the jury. Metzger and WAR did not have assets totaling anywhere near that amount.
So McElroy used the civil court judgment to take Metzger鈥檚 house, which was then sold to a Latinx family. He also collected money in small amounts every month from Metzger and WAR over the course of 20 years.
All told, McElroy said, about $200,000 was collected from Metzger and WAR. Because Mulugeta Seraw was not married at the time of his death, his father and son were the only legal heirs under Oregon law. Henock鈥檚 grandfather received about $20,000, a significant amount for a farmer in Ethiopia at that time. The rest went to Henock.
Both Henock and McElroy have regularly sent money to Henock鈥檚 mother over the years. She has since remarried and now has two daughters.
鈥楢 better future鈥�
Soon after the verdict, McElroy volunteered to go to Ethiopia for a meeting with the family to discuss how the money would be distributed.
There, he saw Henock again. He was captivated by the 10-year-old boy who bravely attended portions of the trial. At the time, Henock lived in a small room with his mother, who was earning about $1 a day working for a bus company, and his opportunities were limited given the stark circumstances in his home country.
McElroy asked the boy鈥檚 mother if he could bring him back to the United States for a summer vacation, and she agreed.
When the summer ended, McElroy had another request: He asked if Henock could stay with him in the U.S. to attend school. Again, she agreed.
Eventually, McElroy had an even greater request: He wanted to adopt Henock. Again, she agreed.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 put any pressure on Aynalem (or at least I didn鈥檛 intend to), and she was naturally reluctant at first, because legally it meant she was giving up her parental rights,鈥� McElroy said, adding that immigration authorities were hassling him about Henock鈥檚 student visa in the U.S.
鈥淚 was growing more and more concerned that because of the immigration laws in effect at the time, if I didn鈥檛 adopt him before his 16th birthday, he might not be able to remain in the country to finish his education and become a citizen if he chose to do so,鈥� McElroy said. 鈥淎s [Aynalem] later told me, she finally realized that this would be the best thing for Henock, as far as opening many doors to good colleges and job opportunities and U.S. citizenship. So, because she is a loving and wonderful mom who wanted the best for Henock, she agreed.鈥�
It was a heart-wrenching decision similar to the one Henock鈥檚 grandfather made for his son years earlier, when he sent Mulugeta off to college in Portland.
鈥淚 told Jim [McElroy] it was my wish and that Henock would be better off if he were to live and get his education in America,鈥� Aynalem said.
Henock attended schools in the U.S., where he excelled and eventually earned a degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. But he always wanted to be a pilot.
Upon graduation from college and unable to get a flying job with a U.S. airline, he leveraged his native Ethiopian background, his language skills in both Amharic and English, and his years of flight school into a job as a pilot with Ethiopian Airlines.
鈥淎ll Henock ever wanted to do from the time he was 14 was fly airplanes,鈥� said McElroy, who never spent any of the money from Henock鈥檚 jury award to raise him.
鈥淚 put every penny we collected from Metzger and WAR in a trust account for Henock. I paid all of his expenses with one notable exception. I let him spend his money on flying lessons,鈥� McElroy said. 鈥淚 thought 聽it was poetic justice that Metzger鈥檚 money was being used to help Henock start his career.鈥�
Adopting Henock was one of the best things that has happened in McElroy鈥檚 life, he said.
鈥淎nd I have the 澳彩开奖 to thank for that,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ad they not decided to take on this very difficult case thousands of miles from Montgomery, Henock would not be in my life today. As an added bonus, I also now have a lovely daughter-in-law and two magnificent grandkids in my life.鈥�
A lasting legacy
Today, McElroy is also helping to raise one of Henock鈥檚 half-sisters, who attended high school and is now attending college in the U.S.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank Jim and God very much for raising Henock to be successful and to have a family of his own,鈥� Aynalem said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank Jim again for also taking care of my daughter Gelila, who is living with him at the moment.
鈥淛im is a gift from God. There is no way anything or anyone can repay him for what he鈥檚 done for us.聽Seeing [my children] succeed is the only reward that can be of comfort for all his efforts.鈥�
Portland has also made significant efforts to honor Mulugeta Seraw in the decades since his death.
Every 10 years, the city sponsors a big ceremony and daylong events in remembrance of Mulugeta. The street where Mulugeta lived and where he was murdered has been named after him in Portland, with signs in English on one side and Amharic on the other. In the wake of his murder, the state requiring police to report hate crimes to a database, underscoring his legacy.
When McElroy visited Portland two years ago to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the murder, he was reminded of an incident that happened one year earlier on the city鈥檚 rapid transit system.
A on a train after the men intervened on behalf of two young Muslim women. The white supremacist had been harassing the women because they were wearing hijabs.
After McElroy spoke at the Mulugeta commemoration event, a young woman who could not have been more than a child when Mulugeta was killed 鈥� but who obviously knew about the murder 鈥� approached McElroy and showed him a photograph taken at the transit stop where the good Samaritans had been murdered.
The photo depicted two simple words spray-painted on the stark white wall on the back of the transit stop shelter.
鈥淩emember Mulugeta,鈥� the words said.
Lead photo illustration by 澳彩开奖.
