A video surfaced on Twitter and Reddit Nov. 5 of Eugene based Dizzy Dean’s Donuts owner Dean Weaver pouring water on a woman sleeping outside of his store. Weaver confirmed with the Daily Emerald that he recorded the video several weeks ago, although he said he was just trying to put out a fire she had made.
The reddit post where the video had been posted has more than 6,000 comments.
Weaver said he took the video with a company phone, from which an employee of the store leaked the video. Weaver fired the employee the next day after they leaked the video.
The video shows Weaver walking toward a figure sitting on the ground near his store and leaning against a trailer. As he gets near, the camera tilts away from the woman, and there is a loud splash.
“You’re not putting fires around here,” Weaver said in the video. The person, whom police have been unable to locate since the incident, can be heard in the video shouting at Weaver and saying, “I don’t have any clothes to change into.”
The Eugene Police Department received a report around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 regarding a person who had made a post to a social media platform that showed a video of a woman who is homeless having water thrown on her, Melinda McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the EPD, said. Several officers attempted an area check for the woman after the incident, but she has yet to be identified, McLaughlin said.
Weaver claimed he smelled a fire at the time the video was taken. No fire is visible in the leaked video, and as of this report, EPD have not found conclusive evidence that a fire had been started outside the store.
Weaver showed the Emerald a different video from the one posted online, where he is more clearly pouring water on and extinguishing a small fire outside his store. Weaver said he has taken several videos of himself confronting unhoused people near his store.
“The police have body cams; I want to do the same thing,” Weaver said.
Temperatures in Eugene dropped to as low as 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Egan Warming Centers in Eugene typically open their doors at 30 degrees, though this week they activated anyway.
Three Egan warming centers will open Nov. 15, according to Tim Black, operations coordinator for the Egan Warming Centers. Two will be in Eugene and one in Springfield. The warming sites are accessible and pet-friendly. The Eugene shelter opens at 7 p.m. at the Wheeler Pavilion Lane Events Center at 796 W 13th Avenue in Eugene. More information about the warming centers can be found on the St. Vincent DePaul website.
The warming centers are looking for volunteers. The first Egan volunteer training session of the season will be held virtually Nov. 15.
Since the incident, Dizzy Dean’s Google listing has been automatically delisted due to a significant amount of negative reviews. Its Yelp score has dropped from four stars to 1.5.
Another doughnut store, Springfield-based Bizzy Jean’s Donuts, made a public statement on its Facebook page after it started receiving reviews meant for Dizzy Dean’s.
“We’re aware of some video footage that was released about a similarly named business,” the statement said. “We are similarly concerned with what we saw and hope that our customers here in Springfield will not associate us with his actions. To repeat: Bizzy Jean’s Donuts is not affiliated with Dizzy Dean’s in any way.”
An Instagram account posing as Dizzy Dean’s posted a statement. Weaver confirmed with the Daily Emerald that he does not run this account.
The Daily Emerald has not been able to get in contact with the former Dizzy Dean’s employee.
