loading . . . "Racist, Dehumanizing": Chat Images Show Portland Power Players Disparaging Councilors of Color Messages obtained by the Mercury contain a slew of offensive tropes sent during a council president election by Jeremiah Hayden
As Portland city councilors engaged in a tense discussion about entrenched racism and changing power dynamics, an influential real estate broker was simultaneously exchanging texts with multiple people who used discriminatory language about councilors of color.
The _Mercury_ has obtained a series of images of group messages that show racist, sexist, and homophobic tropes used by local developer Brian Owendoff and other local conservative political activists. The group messages were exchanged on January 7, while the Portland City Council debated who should become its next president, and the language was used exclusively against progressive city councilors of color. Owendoff, present in the council chambers that day, is known for his role in the downtown’s Block 216 Ritz-Carlton project, his influence over the Darcelle XV Plaza, and his consistent involvement in local politics.
“And now burrito playing race card,” Owendoff wrote in one message.
The message came as Councilor Angelita Morillo, a Paraguayan immigrant, spoke about her experience on a City Council that long excluded people of color from service.
Owendoff has had a sizable sway over the city’s decision-making for the past 15 years. Through his role as a commercial real estate broker, he’s involved in several political and business groups. During Sam Adams’s tenure as mayor, Adams appointed Owendoff to a panel focused on planning the future of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Owendoff was forced out of a real estate job in 2011 for posting hundreds of caustic comments on the _Oregonian_ website. He also messages at least one current city councilor during meetings, according to other images obtained by the _Mercury_ late last year.
The progressive coalition known as the p-caucus, or colloquially as “Peacock,” is made up of six councilors, four of color, who argue that entrenched power dynamics leave them fighting uphill to change a status quo rooted in race and gender inequities.
“This is exactly why my colleagues raised concerns about bias and racism during the Council President vote,” Councilor Candace Avalos said about the text messages. “Unfortunately, the bigoted messages sent in this group chat are not surprising to anyone who’s familiar with how the power players in our city operate. My takeaway from this group chat is that Councilors should reflect more deeply on who they choose to listen to, and their own treatment of their colleagues of color.”
To some viewers and councilors, the presidential election veered off topic as a 6-6 stalemate through nine rounds of voting became emotionally charged.
Comments from Councilor Eric Zimmerman about nominee Sameer Kanal—one of five city councilors of color—kicked off a critical exchange about gender and racial stereotypes, and who does the public’s business under a form of government intended to broaden ideological viewpoints and better represent the diversity of Portland voters.
“I'm not willing to send Councilor Kanal out as my representative to the larger public, because I don't think that that temperament and that instinct exists with you in a way that I'll be supportive of,” Zimmerman said.
Morillo argued that temperament is often measured differently depending on a person’s gender, skin color, or nationality. Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane, Avalos, and Kanal also pushed back multiple times when remarks they perceived as biased made their way into the Council’s conversation.
The messages obtained by the _Mercury,_ outlined below, show dogmatic narratives perpetuated in private chats among people with access to City Hall and Multnomah County government. They reveal local political players lashing out when confronted by a representative municipal government amid a changing paradigm.
“Tiff is a fucking idiot,” another message from Owendoff said.
The meeting ended January 7 without a winner. But when it resumed January 8, Morillo spoke out early, attempting to summarize the prior day’s events.
“Everyone is going to say none of the criticisms were race based,” Morillo said. “Have fun telling that to all of your colleagues of color who basically incurred psychic and moral damage yesterday, sitting through all the dog whistles that we sat through yesterday. The different standards that the man of color is held to; the fact that with similar experience, he is not seen as appropriately qualified; the fact that we have institutions of power that he has been successfully holding accountable, respectfully, for years, influencing what our colleagues are deciding and doing. I think everybody knows that that is not okay.”
Timestamps included here are of the time the image was archived, and may not reflect the exact time it was sent or received. Some people included may have been watching a delayed livestream video.
This language from the text exchange below is unedited. Readers may find this content offensive. Owendoff did not respond to the _Mercury_ ’s multiple requests for comment Monday.
**January 7, 2026**
**9:32 am**
Meeting begins
**10:17 am**
From the dais, Koyama Lane said Portland Police Association President Aaron Schmautz had reminded her earlier that morning that the body would ultimately get through the election.
**10:19 am**
Owendoff opens a group chat with four people. Vikki Payne is the interim executive director of the Future Portland Action Fund and the Future Portland Community Coalition. A former communications staffer for Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, Payne was fired in August 2025 over concerns about her performance and potential conflicts of interest. The firing came roughly three months after she faced accusations that she organized a Future Portland press conference about increasing funding to the Portland Police Bureau, while on government time.
Also in the chat is Talia Giardini, a community member involved with Future Portland. Another unconfirmed person is included in the chat but does not appear to respond to the messages.
> Owendoff: "_TIFF is a LIAR and incompetent"_
> Giardini: "_Wait why did she bring up Aaron?_ 😂"
> Owendoff: _"She’s trying to show she reaches across the aisle. She’s full of shit a…"_
**10:28 am**
Morillo speaks on Kanal: “It is not lost on me that the progressive caucus is primarily made of people of color. It's primarily made of people who have never had access to local government or politics before, who are not the people whose parents or grandparents or family members were in public service.”
**10:31 am**
> Payne: "_And Tiffany is Japanese, the elites of the Asians"_
> Giardini: "_Candace has been involved and so has she. They all have."_
> Payne: "_She mentions her districts and her constituents. I guess she doesn’t realize most of them are white."_
> Owendoff: "_And now burrito playing race card."_
Payne distanced herself from Owendoff when reached by phone Monday. Asked what she meant about Koyama Lane, Payne explained.
“When discussing race politics, identity politics, I've been told by my Asian friend that there's a tier to Asian, whatever you want to call it, racism, and that, Japanese are considered—my friends that are Southern Asian consider themselves to be at the bottom of that totem pole,” Payne said.
**10:35 am**
> Giardini: _"He’s_[Kanal]_been the chair of safety and no one has done anything racist you cunt bitch"_
> Giardini: _"I’m saving this for our list. I hope someone calls her out."_
> Owendoff reacts: 👍
Reached by phone January 12, Giardini told the _Mercury_ she was upset by accusations of people being racist.
“Private text messages from private citizens and criticism is totally okay in my mind,” Giardini said.
Giardini said she was upset by comments that were made by some of the councilors.
"As a citizen of the community, I'm really upset when people are making claims of racism that aren't true.”
Kanal spoke with the _Mercury_ about the messages on January 12.
“The standard for people of color, especially women of color, has always been different because our systems are designed to keep marginalized folks out of power,” Kanal said. “And what we’ve seen is that it frightens people sometimes when entrenched power structures are upended.”
But Kanal said Portlanders who have not felt represented by their government elected all 12 councilors.
“For those of us who are representing marginalized communities, none of us are going to let fear stand in the way of delivering for Portlanders."
Morillo sent a statement to the _Mercury_ January 12, offering some levity, after she was presented with the messages.
“In some ways I’m relieved that this was exposed because it reaffirms what the progressives and the people of color have been saying — This was all tied to the power dynamics we experience inside and outside of City Hall,” Morillo said. “And by the way, we don’t have burritos in Paraguay. At least call me an empanada or something!”
**10:44 am**
> Giardini: _“Funny how Kanal is supposedly going to break from the peacock yet they are all loyally voting for him”_
> Giardini: _“Those braids are not cheap”_
Giardini was referring to Avalos, who is Black and Latina. Avalos was wearing braided extensions in her hair. She said she simply meant it costs a person a lot of money to get their hair done, and the councilors make a lot of money.
> Owendoff: _"Avalos attended at $50k per year high…"_
**11:00 am**
Koyama Lane spoke for roughly four minutes, raising issues she perceived as Pirtle-Guiney’s failure to share power with her, the council vice president.
**11:02 am**
> Owendoff: _"Who’s going to tell teacher tiff 'just because you can cut your own bangs doesn’t mean you should'..."_
**11:03-11:23**
Council recess.
After she was made aware of the contents, Koyama Lane responded to the messages in a January 12 statement to the _Mercury_.
“What’s been shared with me is racist, dehumanizing, and deeply disturbing,” Koyama Lane said. “These are not abstract comments — they target real people, real identities, and real histories of harm. This isn’t about things just ‘getting personal’, or hurt feelings — it’s about a pattern of rhetoric that doesn’t stay contained in private chats. It shapes culture, decision-making, and whose voices are taken seriously in public institutions. When people who are close to elected officials, who advise them or work with them, are engaging in racist stereotypes, it directly contradicts the claim that race has ‘nothing to do’ with leadership decisions.”
**11:13 am**
> Owendoff: _"Tiff playing victim on her $137k salary? WTAF!!"_
> Payne reacts: _"_ 😂 _to ‘Kanal is proposing to “leave” peacock caucus if elected president’ Sure, JAN!"_
**11:44 am**
Owendoff opens a group chat named “Partnership,” which bears the logo of the political dark money group Partnership for Progress. The nonprofit was registered in February 2025, and is a “public benefit,” according to Oregon Secretary of State registration documents. The organization has taken credit for “prompting statewide scrutiny” to Multnomah County’s Preschool For All program, highlighting what it calls “severe police understaffing,” and helping to save the city program that sweeps homeless Portlanders, during a tense budget season.
Vadim Mozyrsky, who lost a campaign for Multnomah County commissioner in 2024, is the organization’s sole registered agent. Mozyrsky does not appear to be involved in the texts, but was present in the council chambers during the meeting.
In the Partnership group chat, Owendoff shared a screenshot of a Bluesky post by an anonymous account called Genderless Rodent.
**11:50 am**
Ciatta Thompson, who is running for Oregon House District 33 as a Republican, sends Owendoff an _Oregonian_ article. The full link is cut off, and it is unclear from the message what article she sent. According to public records, Thompson filed a state ethics complaint against the progressive caucus in November, alleging the members violated state public meetings law when they met on August 6, 2025. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is currently investigating whether the group met for the purpose of talking about committee business.
**12:00 pm**
A group chat that Owendoff messages includes a contact with the initials “EA.” When reached by phone January 12, Portland Police Bureau officer and City Council District 4 candidate Eli Arnold told the _Mercury_ , “I feel like I may have seen something like that, okay, but they—some people are very prolific texters.” Arnold is not shown responding to the texts.
“I kind of helped when they started Partnership for Progress at the beginning, but I actually kind of separated from them a while back,” Arnold said. “I'm not actively involved in the organization.”
Bob Weinstein, who leads the local 501(c)(4) nonprofit Partnership for Progress, is also included. Weinstein did not respond to the _Mercury_ ’s multiple requests for comment Monday.
According to public records, Weinstein filed a separate state ethics complaint against the progressive caucus in November, alleging the members violated state public meetings law about the progressive caucus’ August 6, 2025 meeting. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is currently investigating whether the group met for the purpose of talking about committee business.
Another unknown person is also in the chat.
> Weinstein: _"All we can do is try to guide it towards greater equity. In fact, it seems that all of the communism and socialism schemes have failed because some insiders decided they were more equal than others. Morillo and her DSA cohort are destined to fail in the long run. It’s the middle part that’s gonna suck. Already, the money is organizing opposition. Check out Partnership for Progress organization."_
**12:01 pm**
> Owendoff: _"Socialism is communism before guns"_
**12:09 pm**
> Owendoff: _"Peacocks need to take a Roberts rule, econ 101 and ethics class STAT"_
> Owendoff: _"Tiff is a fucking idiot"_
Owendoff opens a group chat with three people, including Payne. The image is blurry and the _Mercury_ cannot confirm who is included.
**12:18 pm**
> Owendoff: _"Teacher…_[obstructed]_...word salad rambling"_
> Payne: _"This is why I testified numerous time…_[obstructed]_...an even number…_[obstructed]_... councilors."_
> Owendoff: "_She doesn’t l…_[obstructed]_...panese"_
**12:26 pm**
Weinstein messages Owendoff and two other people. The image is blurry. The _Mercury_ cannot confirm who else is included.
> Weinstein : _"She gets an F"_
> Owendoff: _"Tiff wants more power and does not have mental acuity, prior experience or acumen to be counc…_[obstructed]_...de…"_
Owendoff opens a group chat with Payne and two other people. The image is blurry, so the _Mercury_ cannot confirm who else is included.
**12:39 pm**
> Owendoff: _"Kanal is gay. Do no straight men with full head of hair on council."_
> Payne: _"Angelita: I’m mad my shit didn’t get on the full council agenda faster than others who were in line ahead of me"_
Payne emailed the _Mercury_ shortly after she spoke about the messages January 12, to clarify that she was speaking in her personal capacity and not on behalf of Future Portland. She also distanced herself from Owendoff.
“I'm sure Brian is on another wavelength and I generally don't respond when he says really obscene things because I don't agree with him on MANY things,” Payne said.
While the messages included in the images were not sent directly to city councilors, Owendoff has communicated directly with councilors as they were deliberating about city business in the past, according to another image obtained by the _Mercury_ from last fall. During a November 12 discussion on an algorithmic price fixing ordinance brought by Morillo, an image shows Owendoff sending “My text to Dan” to an unconfirmed person, attached to a screenshot of an iMessage he sent at 11:31 am about Inclusionary Zoning (IZ).
**11:35 am**
> Owendoff: _"Propose 19 units which is cut off for threshold of IZ requirements for new apt construction_
>
> _"The issue is the potential frivolous law suits. Portland has some of the strongest tenant protections in the…"_
About one minute later, at roughly 11:32 am, Councilor Dan Ryan asked Morillo a clarifying question about whether people would be using the algorithmic price fixing software she was trying to ban if they owned 20 units or fewer. Morillo responded, and Ryan continued with his public statement at the meeting.
“We have this reality issue in Portland where with infill zoning, a lot of developers, local developers, stop their units at 19,” Ryan said. “And that's where we have the most active development right now. In fact, when this Council took action to lift the SDCs, we're seeing some permits actually being pulled, but they're all for 19 or less.”
The _Mercury_ requested public records from the city of Portland for any communications between Ryan’s office and Owendoff, but the city said it had no records. If Owendoff was, perhaps, messaging Ryan on his private cell phone, the records would not show up in the city’s system. However, they would still be subject to state public records law since the contents were regarding city business.
Ryan's office declined an interview with the _Mercury,_ but emailed a statement January 13.
"Like all my colleagues, I rely on the perspectives and experiences of many different Portlanders to inform my policy positions," Ryan said. "Varied perspectives and input is critical to making good policy decisions, and one of my favorite things about this job is hearing from the courageous folks who come to testify in person."
_Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly defined the "IZ" acronym._ https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2026/01/13/48252460/racist-dehumanizing-chat-images-show-portland-power-players-disparaging-councilors-of-color
