Man says county discriminated

PORTLAND — A former jail administrator has filed a civil rights suit against Cumberland County, alleging that he was demoted and his position was later eliminated because he is black.

Moses Sebunya, president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP, also contended that his criticism of city leaders for not speaking out against hate crimes was a factor in the loss of his job.

The suit alleges Sebunya was the victim of a pattern of harassment and racial discrimination that began in 1995 because of his outspoken stance against hate crimes in Portland.

The lawsuit says that retaliation — led by Deputy Chief Dewey Martin Jr., second-in-command in the sheriff’s office — culminated in December when county commissioners eliminated Sebunya’s $29,000-a-year job as the jail’s programs manager. A year earlier, his wages and job duties had been reduced.

Sebunya was the county jail’s first and only black administrator. At a news conference outside the county jail Thursday, Sebunya’s attorney said his client had two strikes against him in the eyes of county officials.

“He spoke out and he’s black,” said David G. Webbert, adding that the lawsuit is more about justice than money. The suit seeks an undisclosed sum.

Attorney William Fisher, who represents the county, denied Sebunya’s allegations.