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The Portland Tribune today revealed the story behind the Black Parent Intiative's decision last week to abruptly fire its co-founder and CEO Charles McGee.
A former BPI employee named Jhaizmine Smith told the Trib that in 2015, McGee subjected her to repeated sexual harassment, including following her toward her room one night at a staff retreat in Seaside.
Smith filed a written complaint on Nov. 21, 2015, according to the Trib, writing, "I am concerned and I do not believe I am the only one impacted by this issue, this is why I have brought this to your attention."
McGee and other BPI employees read the complaint but BPI's board did not learn about the complaint for seven months.
"After investigating, all five board members resigned in December 2016 over McGee's handling of the matter—or lack thereof," the Trib reports.
On Feb. 7, WW reported allegations that McGee and another man, Aubre Dickson, had sexually assaulted a woman named named Erica Naito-Campbell in 2012. The story also included other allegations involving four other women with whom McGee had allegedly acted inappropriately, including one who says McGee raped her. None of those women was Smith, whom the Trib interviewed for today's story.
Related: A Portland Woman Comes Forward With Her Story of Being Attacked by Two Prominent Men
In response to that story, the BPI board put McGee on administrative leave, pending an investigation into Naito-Campbell's allegations.
Then on Feb. 13, the board fired him, referring generally to "another sexual harassment complaint leveled at Mr. McGee." Now we know what that allegation was.