A Shocking Dismissal from City Hall
A senior aide to Portland City Councilor Jamie Dunphy has been fired following revelations that he took in a disabled homeless woman and later abandoned her at a state park.
The aide, Amani Kelekele, 35, was dismissed on Tuesday—just one day after being placed on paid administrative leave, according to city spokesperson Alison Perkins. The firing came days after The Oregonian/OregonLive published an investigation detailing Kelekele’s interactions with the woman, who uses a wheelchair and has a documented history of mental illness.
Kelekele had informed Dunphy about the situation in late September, though it remains unclear why action was not taken until now—or if new details from the newspaper’s reporting prompted the councilor’s decision.
Also Read
Dunphy, who represents east Portland, declined to comment further.
Timeline of Events
Kelekele, who was earning an annual salary of $131,000 as Dunphy’s chief of staff, was hired in January. In an internal email announcing his departure, Dunphy thanked him for his service but acknowledged that “choices were made that do not align with how we strive to serve our community and uphold the trust placed in us by our constituents.”
According to documents obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Kelekele’s troubling actions began in late September. On the night of September 25, he drove the woman and her dog from Milwaukie to Milo McIver State Park, approximately 21 miles southeast of Portland. He dropped them off at a campsite in the dark, leaving them with blankets, a beach umbrella, and several grocery bags.
In a memo written to Dunphy on September 30, Kelekele explained that he had taken the woman off the streets days earlier “to help her avoid arrest.” He said he allowed her to stay in his home while trying to find social services or shelter that she would accept. When his efforts failed, he claimed he made the decision to take her to the park.
Less than 36 hours after he left, state park workers contacted Oregon State Police, reporting that the woman was refusing to leave the campsite.
A Disturbing Outcome
Park records indicate the woman told staff she had a history of “violent interactions with police.” When troopers arrived on September 27, she allegedly refused to cooperate. Officers ultimately used a taser to subdue and arrest her. During the encounter, the woman’s pit bull, described as her emotional support animal, bit one of the officers before running off into the woods and disappearing.
Though Kelekele’s memo suggested he was trying to protect the woman from arrest, police and outreach workers in Milwaukie have since disputed that claim. According to officials and advocates familiar with the case, the woman was not facing arrest at the time Kelekele intervened.
Instead, trained outreach teams had been working for days to connect her with housing and mental health services. Those efforts were disrupted when Kelekele took matters into his own hands.
Public and Political Fallout
Kelekele declined to comment when contacted Thursday but previously issued a written statement describing the incident as emotionally painful.
“This has caused a great deal of emotional distress,” he wrote. “I would like to clarify that I led with my heart in my sincere attempts to aid (the woman). However, if I could do it over, I would do it differently.”
Councilor Dunphy, speaking to The Oregonian/OregonLive last month before the firing, called the situation “awful and heartbreaking.”
“This is obviously the worst-case scenario of how things could have turned out,” he said. Dunphy added that Kelekele, who had himself experienced homelessness in the past, was motivated by compassion but made serious misjudgments.
“It was done with the best of intentions and with some errors in judgment that come from someone who wants to be everything to everyone,” Dunphy said. “He wanted to help as much as possible, but this situation spiraled out of control.”
Questions About Accountability
The incident has raised serious ethical and professional questions about how a high-ranking city official could make such a decision without notifying proper authorities or support services. City officials have not yet announced whether a broader internal review will be conducted to assess how the situation was handled.
Social service experts say the case highlights the dangers of well-intentioned but untrained individuals intervening in complex mental health or homelessness situations. “This underscores why professionals with crisis training and proper resources need to be the ones responding,” said a Portland-area outreach worker familiar with the incident.
The Oregon Department of Human Services and local advocates have declined to comment publicly on the case, citing privacy concerns and the woman’s ongoing recovery. Attempts by The Oregonian/OregonLive to locate or speak with the woman have been unsuccessful.
The Larger Context
The firing comes amid Portland’s ongoing struggles with homelessness and mental health crises, which have become central issues for city leaders. Councilor Dunphy, who campaigned on improving city accountability and expanding support for vulnerable residents, now faces renewed scrutiny over how his office handled the matter.
The episode has also sparked discussions within City Hall about clearer boundaries for public officials engaging in personal assistance efforts and the need for structured protocols when helping people in crisis.
City spokesperson Alison Perkins confirmed that Dunphy acted “to uphold the integrity of his office” and ensure staff conduct remains consistent with city policies.
A Tragic Lesson
As Portland continues to navigate its homelessness emergency, the incident serves as a cautionary tale about the fine line between compassion and recklessness.
Kelekele’s firing, though swift, raises deeper questions about how city employees can support residents in need while following ethical and procedural guidelines.
In the end, what began as an attempt to help a vulnerable woman resulted in harm, embarrassment, and the loss of a promising public servant’s career.
“It’s a tragedy all around,” one city official said anonymously. “A tragedy for her, and a tragedy for him.”
