Black man, bank VP, says he’s victim of racist assault in Portsmouth
PORTSMOUTH — A local bank executive says he was the victim of a racist attack in downtown Portsmouth the night before Thanksgiving.
State police and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office are leading criminal and civil rights investigations.
Mamadou Dembele, a vice president with Bangor Savings Bank, who is Black, alleges he was assaulted and injured Nov. 22 on a Portsmouth street.
“Last Wednesday I was attacked on a public Portsmouth Street. The words used by my attacker leave no doubt that this was a racist act,” Dembele said in a written statement provided by his attorney. “My physical injuries are still hindering me but will hopefully heal with time. The fear and fury of being attacked in my home community because I was seen as ‘other’ will never go away. I am grateful that law enforcement is investigating, and I will give them space and time to complete their work. But I look forward to seeing my attacker held accountable in a court of law.”
Robin Melone, the attorney representing Dembele, said Friday afternoon she believes the assault was a hate crime. She called it an “unprovoked act” by a white assailant with more people involved, adding Dembele had never previously met them. Melone declined to describe the attack or say what Dembele’s injuries were.
Dembele and supporters are planning a protest and press conference at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 at the African Burying Ground Memorial Park in Portsmouth.
Representatives from the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, the Business Alliance for People of Color New Hampshire, Black Lives Matter New Hampshire, the Seacoast NAACP and the New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity are expected to attend.
Chief says former Portsmouth police employee may have been involved
The Portsmouth Police Department responded to a report of a fight on Fleet Street around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 in the vicinity of Gilley’s Diner, according to Portsmouth Deputy Police Chief Michael Maloney. He said Monday city police were investigating but did not provide details.
New Hampshire State Police have taken over the
investigation because a former employee of the Portsmouth Police Department may have been involved in the alleged incident, according to city Police Chief Mark Newport.
“We are not going to investigate due to the conflict of interest,” Newport said Friday.
New Hampshire State Police Lt. Joe Ronchi confirmed Friday state police will be investigating. He was notified Wednesday of the handoff from Portsmouth police and expects to receive more information in the coming week.
“The details of who is involved, it would be irresponsible to comment at this time,” Ronchi said.
On Friday, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office also confirmed its active involvement in the investigation.
“The Attorney General’s Office Civil Rights Unit is actively working with the Portsmouth Police Department and our law enforcement partners,” said spokesman Michael Garrity.
The public Portsmouth police log from Nov. 22 states a report was taken after six people were fighting in front of a business. The call reporting the incident came in at 10:37 p.m. that night, the log shows. The information from the police log is preliminary and not confirmed by an investigation, according to police. Police have not said how many people were involved.
“We believe one individual from the group committed the physical attack,” said Melone, Dembele’s attorney. “But there was a group who initially approached him and were present when Mamadou was physically attacked. The others in that group are just as responsible for Mamadou’s injuries even if they did not make physical contact with Mamadou’s body. They were part of this.”
Dembele thanks those who are supporting him
Dembele’s statement says that “supporters, allies, and victims are welcome and encouraged to attend” Sunday’s event in Portsmouth. He also expressed gratitude for his “friends, colleagues, and the community partners who have rallied to support me and every victim of racist violence.”
“Our country and our state cannot continue to welcome overt hatred,” Dembele wrote. “I did not choose to be a victim. But I am choosing to not be silent.”
Dembele joined Bangor Savings Bank in 2019, according to the bank. He sits on the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center’s board of directors, graduated from Furman University’s Consumer Banking Associate Executive Banking School and has undergraduate degrees in education and psychology from the Aix-Marseille University in France, according to the bank.
His attorney is calling for the state attorney general to get involved.
“I think any time we have an unprovoked attack on a Black man by white individuals, it would be appropriate for there to be consideration by law enforcement about whether or not this was a hate crime,” Melone said. “I have no question that this was a hate crime and I hope that the attorney general will consider it as such.”
Michael Garrity, spokesperson for the New Hampshire attorney general’s office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.