Last summer, a Black wildlands firefighter in Oregon was sentenced to nearly six years in jail for defending himself against what he claimed was a racist attack.
Despite the assailant throwing the first punch, allegedly calling him the N-word and having illicit drugs in his system, Brian “Hakyim” Simpson remains locked up in Snake River Correctional Facility, found guilty of second-degree assault by an all-white jury.
His friends, supporters, fellow firefighters, and family have recently launched a petition and a letter-writing campaign to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, demanding a second look at the case. If they wait for an appeal, it could take years.
“I just want the world to know that this young man is being targeted. It’s an injustice, it’s racially motivated, and it can’t be accepted… especially when you’re talking about self-defense. This is someone who is preserving his own life. This is wrong, man,” said his longtime friend, Rakwaun “RaRa” Bivens in a video that accompanied the petition for clemency. The petition now has 3,000 signatures and counting.
“We can’t let this happen to anyone else. Hakiym’s story is a wake-up call,” said Bivens.
On June 17, 2024, members of the Grayback forestry crew were chatting and kicking back around midnight on their day off while staying at firefighting housing near Grants Pass. Another firefighter, Brandon Olson, who is white, woke up and angrily confronted the group, including Simpson, yelling “You need to shut the f*** up,” according to trial transcripts via local news station KGW8. When Simpson responded, he claimed Olson told him, “Pull your f***in pants up, n*****.”
The two men quickly came to blows, but Olson admitted at the trial that he threw the first punch. Though Olson denied yelling the racial slur, a witness testified that he did.
According to that witness, Simpson kept his hands behind his back while being struck three times before he eventually punched back, reported the Rogue Valley Times.
The two men wrestled around on the ground until others managed to separate them. But Olson jumped back into the fray and Simpson kicked him a few more times, explaining at trial that “legs is longer than the fists. And like I said, I’m blind in my left eye, I didn’t want him to be too close to me.” Olson apparently tried to continue the fight, even after Simpson walked away.
After reporting the incident to his squad boss, Simpson drove off, but Olson pursued him on foot, claiming he went after Simpson’s car to get the license plate number and make and model, read court documents.
“The aggressor in this situation admitted at trial of throwing the first punch. The toxicology report showed that he had drugs in his system, including fentanyl. After Mr. Simpson disengaged in the fight, he chased after him, the aggressor chased after him. He admitted that also in court,” defense attorney Eric Fournier stated.
In an email to KGW8, Josephine County District Attorney Joshua Eastman wrote, “Our position both before and at trial is that the first hit was likely justified (or at least could be). But the repeated kicks/stomps to the face/head area were not. The victim had several facial fractures and needed surgery.”
In August, Simpson was found guilty by an all-white jury in Josephine County, which is 92 percent white and just 0.8 percent Black, according to the Census Bureau. A judge sentenced him to 70 months in jail, which he is serving at Snake River Penitentiary, the largest jail in Oregon.
In addition to being a firefighter, Simpson, 42, was a community leader and beloved figure in the spoken word scene of his hometown of Cincinnati, earning recognition from none other than the late Rosa Parks for his advocacy, said his brother, Dom Simpson. A mural of Simpson in downtown “stands as a testament to his legacy,” he said in the petition video.
It’s no surprise that momentum for his case has been growing, with many prominent voices lending their support.
“If you throw the first punch, then you are the aggressor,” Glendora Claybrooks of the National Action Network told KGW8. “Where I’m from, we call a spade a spade,” she continued. “And when you start throwing that term around, the only intent, unless you’re singing one of these pop songs, is meant to demean, disrespect, humiliate, and it’s a racial slur.”
The outcome of the case has been especially devastating for his four sons.
“We really need him back in our lives so we can talk to him every day and hold him once again,” said his son Messiah Sha’ir.
His younger brother, Yahweh Sha’ir, agreed: “Having a firefighter dad is unique because he likes to go into the danger so we can be safe… I really miss him, I miss his love, I miss everything.”
While in prison, the father is working full-time, paying toward $34,453 in restitution to Olson for the injuries to his face. He is coping by focusing on the future, telling outlets, “Once this is done, I want to get back out there and continue to fight fire and do the best I can to be the best firefighter I can and the best person I can, for the community.”
In the meantime, Olson has brought a lawsuit against Grayback Forestry for $1.8 million, saying they never should have hired Simpson. In October 2024, Olson was charged with stalking in an unrelated case. He has declined to speak to the press.
