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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
May 31, 2017 Page 5 Police investigate a double murder on a Max train near the Hollywood Transit Center on Friday. Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, and Ricky John Best, 53, were killed as they tried to stop a man from harassing two women on a Max light-rail train. Another who stepped in was seriously injured. Standing Up to Hate C ontinued froM f ront Mangum told news station KPTV that she and her 17-year-old friend were riding the train when Christian started yelling at them. She said her friend is Muslim, but she’s not. “He told us to go back to Saudi Arabia, and he told us we shouldn’t be here, to get out of his country,” Mangum said. “He was just telling us that we basically weren’t any- thing and that we should kill our- selves.” The teens moved toward the back of the train, preparing to get off at the next stop. “And then we turned around while they were fighting, and he just started stabbing people, and it was just blood everywhere, and we just started running for our lives,” Mangum said. Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, was stabbed in the neck. His girl- friend, Miranda Helm, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he was Dr. Charles Drew Blood Drive Saturday, June 17th, 2017 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. American Red Cross Portland Blood Donation Center 3131 N. Vancouver Ave. 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Discussion Panel Guest Speaker: Marcia Taylor, Executive Director, Sickle Cell Foundation of Oregon Living With Sickle Cell: The Lamberth Family Free T-Shirt, $10 Gift Card and a 50 percent off Adidas Coupon for all presenting donors Join Sistahs4Life at 9:30 AM in the Atrium for Soulful Line Dance Exercise For an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) recovering his strength in the hos- pital. A day before the attack, cell- phone video confirmed by police Sgt. Pete Simpson shows Christian using expletives as he rants about Muslims, Christians and Jews on a train. At one point, he threatens to stab the driver of the train Thurs- day, according to video from a pas- senger posted by TV station KOIN. Simpson says police also are investigating an incident that day involving Christian and a black woman on the train, but he didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking additional details. Christian served prison time after holding up employees at a convenience store with a gun in 2002, court records show. He went back after pleading guilty in 2011 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was behind bars again in 2013 for violating a condition of his release, according to court re- cords. Tomica Clark told The Ore- gonian/OregonLive that she has known Christian since elementary school. She said she was surprised to hear people call Christian racist. Clark is black and said Christian had many black friends. “He never disrespected me,” Clark said, but added that he changed after he got out of prison. “Prison took the real him away,” she said. --The Associated Press