Brownsville city councilman sparks controversy over alleged homophobic slur

BROWNSVILLE, Ore. — Crowds invaded the Brownsville City Council meeting Tuesday to address a simmering controversy surrounding a council member.

A Brownsville resident has alleged that Councilman Trapper Solberg and his wife Nicole Solberg engaged in homophobic harassment on seven occasions.

“As a 45-year-old gay man, this isn't the first time I've had to deal with this, and I'm sure it won't be the last, but I hope these two people stop,” said accuser Joshua Bloomfield.

Community members filled the main room of Tuesday's meeting to capacity, forcing more people into an adjacent room. Most speakers called for Solberg to be disciplined or resign.

One of them is Iris Hodge, who wrote an op-ed for the Brownsville Times that was discussed at the meeting, along with videos circulating about the Solbergs' confrontation with Bloomfield.

Hodge is a friend of Bloomfield's and says this harassment has been going on for some time.

“Twelve months of videos sent by my friends, the victims, that clearly show hateful language, deceptive gestures and behavior unbecoming of Brownsville's elected and appointed officials,” Hodge said. “Personally, I'm really tired of the dissociation, the lies about what I witnessed and the victims.”

During the public comment period, speakers criticized Councilman Solberg for his body language, including smirking and muttering under his breath while speakers spoke, to which Brownsville Mayor Adam Craven also responded. refers to.

Solberg responded to these criticisms.

“People are saying untrue things about you,” he responded during the meeting. “It's really hard not to have that kind of behavior as a human being. When it's not true, the things that are said and told about you.”

The city council is investigating the allegations and told our newsroom that other investigations have taken place into previous incidents involving Solberg.

In a statement to our newsroom, Councilor Solberg said:

At this time, I would like to say that I was judged Tuesday evening at a Council meeting because of a biased letter published by the Brownsville Times. Anyone reviewing this editorial without seeing the video is neither fair nor honest. If people could see this full video, then they would know that denigrating my character and smearing my reputation is wrong, pure and simple. As for the video that was taken behind the tavern, I remember the whole incident very clearly. My wife was verbally abused on several occasions; being called the C–T word. All because of my position in municipal government. I have made no comment regarding this derogatory language. I have never called any of these people who accuse me the word F—T. I am not homophobic. I respect the rights and freedoms of all people. I recognize and respect the LGBTQ+ community and always have. My wife has been attacked on other occasions and I have chosen not to step up to protect the city and the citizens who elected me. I had to make the decision to allow her to be attacked because it was very clear that I was being harassed. I can't believe it's come to this.

Bloomfield sent the previously referenced videos of an incident to our newsroom. A previously unreleased compilation of these three videos can be viewed here:

WARNING: These videos contain profanity and obscene gestures. Viewer discretion recommended.