2017
Washington
Classic
‘City
of
Roses’
SECTION
B
Cemented in History
Oregon marker to honor black paratroopers
See Metro, page 9
Volume XLVI • Number 22
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • May 31, 2017
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks at a news conference attended by Oregon Gov. Brown and other community leaders after a man fatally stabbed two other men
Friday on a light-rail train when they tried to stop him from yelling anti-Muslim slurs at two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab. Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35,
of Portland was arrested for aggravated murder and attempted murder in the attack. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)
Inappropriate
protests feared after
two killed in attack
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler urged of-
ficials and organizers Monday to cancel
a “Trump Free Speech Rally” and other
similar events, saying they are inappropri-
ate and could be dangerous after two men
were stabbed to death on a MAX train as
they tried to help a pair of young women
targeted by an anti-Muslim tirade.
Wheeler said he hopes the victims will
inspire “changes in the political dialogue
in this country.”
Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23,
and Ricky John Best, 53, were killed Fri-
day as they tried to stop Jeremy Joseph
Christian from harassing the women on the
light-rail train near the Hollywood Transit
Center in northeast Portland, one of whom
was wearing a hijab, authorities said. An-
other who stepped in was seriously injured.
Christian’s social media postings indi-
cate an affinity for Nazis and political vio-
Standing
to
Up Hate
lence. He is accused of aggravated murder,
intimidation — the state equivalent of a
hate crime — and being a felon in posses-
sion of a weapon.
The federal government has issued a
permit for the free-speech rally Saturday
and has yet to give a permit for an event
June 10. The mayor says his main concern
was participants “coming to peddle a mes-
sage of hatred,” saying hate speech is not
protected by the Constitution.
A Facebook page for the event says
there would be speakers and live music in
“one of the most liberal areas on the West
Coast.” It says it will feature Kyle Chap-
man, who describes himself as an Amer-
ican nationalist and ardent supporter of
President Donald Trump.
Chapman was arrested at a March 4 pro-
test in Berkeley, the birthplace of the U.S.
free speech movement in the 1960s that
has become a flashpoint for the extreme
left and right since Trump’s election.
The University of California, Berkeley,
has been criticized for canceling an appear-
ance by conservative commentator Ann
Coulter in April and another by right-wing
provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos in Feb-
ruary. It canceled Coulter’s speech amid
threats of violence, fearing a repeat of riot-
ing ahead of the Yiannopoulos event.
Trump has condemned the stabbing,
writing Monday on Twitter: “The violent
attacks in Portland on Friday are unaccept-
able. The victims were standing up to hate
and intolerance. Our prayers are w/ them.”
Wheeler said he appreciated Trump’s
words but stressed the need for action.
“I hope we rise to the memory of these
two gentlemen who lost their lives,” the
mayor told reporters. “Let’s do them hon-
or by standing with them and carrying on
their legacy of standing up to hate and big-
otry and violence.”
The mother of one of the targets of the
rant said she was overwhelmed with grati-
tude and sadness for the strangers who died
defending her daughter, 16-year-old Desti-
nee Mangum.
C ontinued on P age 5