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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Tuesday, May 30, 2017 Mayor aims to nix free-speech rally in wake of killings By MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press The mayor of Portland on Monday urged U.S. officials and organizers to cancel a “Trump Free Speech Rally” and other similar events, saying they are inappropriate and could be dangerous after two men were stabbed to death on a train as they tried to help a pair of young women targeted by an anti- Muslim tirade. Mayor Ted Wheeler said he hopes the victims will inspire “changes in the polit- ical dialogue in this country.” It comes amid a wider debate in the U.S. about the First Amendment, often in liberal cities like Portland and Berkeley, California, and on college campuses, where violent protests between far-right and far-left protesters have derailed appearances by contentious figures. Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, and Ricky John Best, 53, were killed Friday as they tried to stop Jeremy Joseph Christian from harassing the women, one of whom was wearing a hijab, authorities say. Another who stepped in was seriously injured. Christian’s social media postings indicate an affinity for Nazis and political violence. He is accused of aggravated murder, intimi- dation — the state equivalent of a hate crime — and being a felon in possession of a weapon and is scheduled to be in court Tuesday. The federal government has issued a permit for the free-speech rally Saturday AP Photos/Gillian Flaccus Coco Douglas, 8, leaves a handmade sign and rocks she painted at a memorial in Portland on Saturday for two bystanders who were stabbed to death Friday while trying to stop a man who was yelling anti-Muslim slurs and acting aggressively toward two young women. and has yet to give a permit for an event J u n e 10. The mayor says his Jeremy Christian m a i n concern was participants “coming to peddle a message 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 Chapman, who describes himself as an American nationalist and ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. Chapman was arrested at a March 4 protest 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 Cali- fornia, Berkeley, has been criticized for canceling an appearance by conservative commentator Ann Coulter in April and another by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos in February. It canceled Coulter’s speech amid threats of violence, fearing a repeat of rioting ahead of the Yiannopoulos event. Trump has condemned the stabbing, writing Monday on Twitter: “The violent attacks in Portland on Friday are unacceptable. The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance. Our prayers are w/ them.” Wheeler said he appre- ciated 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 honor by standing with them and carrying on their legacy of standing up to hate and bigotry and violence.” The mother of one of the targets of the rant said she was overwhelmed with gratitude and sadness for the strangers who died defending her daughter, 16-year-old Destinee Mangum. 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 anything and that we should kill ourselves.” 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 girlfriend, Miranda Helm, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he was recovering his strength in the hospital. Telephone messages left at the home of Christian’s mother Sunday and Monday were not returned. It was not clear if he had a lawyer yet. A day before the attack, cellphone 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 Thursday, according to video from a passenger 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 imme- diately 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 condi- tion of his release, according to court records. Tomica Clark told The Oregonian/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. BRIEFLY Man killed after pickup drives over angry campers TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A 20-year-old man who was intentionally run over at a Grays Harbor County campground has died of his injuries. KOMO-TV reports that Jimmy Smith- Kramer of Taholah was one of two victims run over by a pickup truck Saturday. Tacoma General Hospital officials confirmed he had died late Sunday. The second victim, a 19-year-old Aberdeen man, reportedly is in critical condition. The incident took place at the Donkey Creek Campground. trap has been barred from hunting in Washington for two years. The Seattle Times reported Saturday that the WDFW has stripped Ronald D. Wentz of his hunting privileges for the 2016 incident. Campers were upset at 1:30 a.m. Saturday because of a pickup was doing doughnuts on a gravel bar in the campground. The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office says there was an argument and a camper threw a rock at the truck. Investigators say the driver then backed up toward the campers and ran over the two men and then fled. Mother dies in crash after son fell asleep at the wheel RITZVILLE, Wash. (AP) — A mother was killed after her son fell asleep at the wheel along U.S. Highway 395 in Adams County. The Spokesman-Review reports that Jaciel Parra Medina was driving south of Ritzville, Washington at about 5 a.m. Monday when the SUV he was driving left Man who shot caged cougar loses hunting rights SEATTLE (AP) — A Redmond man who shot and killed a cougar in a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife research Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. 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Parra Madina was not injured and was arrested on a charge of vehicular homicide. Trooper Jeff Sevigney says witnesses reported that Parra Medina appeared to be driving more than 100 mph prior to the crash. Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY WEDNESDAY Variable clouds, a shower; warm Cooler with clouds and sun 90° 55° 72° 56° THURSDAY FRIDAY A morning shower; some sun Partly sunny and pleasant SATURDAY Partly sunny and nice PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 71° 50° 74° 47° 80° 49° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 78° 60° 93° 56° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 89° 74° 103° (1897) 51° 50° 34° (1924) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.93" 1.29" 9.14" 5.54" 6.40" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 94° 76° 99° (1983) 50° 50° 33° (1951) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.43" 1.05" 6.31" 4.23" 5.04" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today First Full June 1 June 9 80° 48° 85° 52° Seattle 61/51 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 78° 53° 5:10 a.m. 8:35 p.m. 10:38 a.m. 12:25 a.m. Last New June 17 June 23 Today Spokane Wenatchee 88/57 88/58 Tacoma Moses 61/48 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 95/58 86/56 56/50 59/47 93/54 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 58/50 94/58 Lewiston 96/57 Astoria 93/61 58/50 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 65/53 Pendleton 85/52 The Dalles 93/56 90/55 76/55 La Grande Salem 89/56 64/48 Albany Corvallis 63/47 65/47 John Day 90/54 Ontario Eugene Bend 94/61 63/45 78/44 Caldwell Burns 93/61 87/47 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 58 87 78 57 87 85 63 88 93 90 76 89 86 73 56 60 94 96 90 65 81 64 88 87 62 94 93 Lo 50 51 44 48 47 52 45 52 56 54 46 56 52 53 47 50 61 55 55 53 43 48 57 48 52 58 54 W c pc c pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc c pc c c pc s pc c c t pc pc c c c pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. Hi 63 73 71 58 69 72 71 72 78 71 67 71 69 78 59 63 85 79 72 74 73 72 71 68 72 75 82 Lo 52 47 46 50 44 49 52 50 60 49 44 51 49 55 50 52 58 56 56 56 45 54 54 46 56 59 53 W c pc c c pc sh c pc pc pc c pc pc c c c pc pc pc c c c pc pc c pc c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 77 86 83 69 75 62 74 79 80 63 82 Lo 58 78 61 53 59 45 53 57 61 51 71 W sh pc s pc t pc t s pc s pc Wed. Hi 94 87 83 70 70 63 75 79 78 61 80 Lo 61 80 58 53 57 53 58 59 63 51 69 W s sh s s t r s s pc pc c WINDS Medford 73/53 (in mph) Klamath Falls 76/46 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern Washington: Intervals of clouds and sunshine today; however, increasing clouds across the south. Cascades: Cloudy and cooler today; a pass- ing shower across the north. Northern California: Partly sunny today. Rain and drizzle in the interior mountains tonight. Wednesday WSW 8-16 W 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: More clouds than sun today; a morning shower in spots across the north. Eastern and Central Oregon: A shower across the north today; increasing clouds in central parts and near the Cascades. Sun in the south and upper Treasure Valley. Western Washington: Times of clouds and sun today with a couple of showers. A brief shower or two tonight. Today NW 6-12 E 4-8 1 4 6 6 4 1 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Showers and storms will drench areas from Texas to southeastern Virginia and from the Upper Midwest to the central Appalachians today. Storms will dot the Rockies as showers dampen the Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 107° in Needles, Calif. Low 22° in Ryegate, Mont. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 80 78 65 70 76 79 93 62 89 80 71 74 90 75 74 86 60 63 86 86 74 91 78 101 87 75 Lo 57 65 60 60 50 64 63 55 69 56 51 57 70 50 54 65 36 43 73 71 54 69 54 76 63 59 W t t c t s t s c t sh t pc pc pc pc t sh c sh t pc t t s pc pc Wed. Hi 74 84 72 78 85 84 84 68 86 76 70 71 88 81 69 84 66 75 86 87 72 89 80 96 87 72 Lo 55 66 60 56 57 66 59 59 68 53 51 52 71 52 50 63 42 50 73 72 52 69 63 71 67 59 W t pc pc pc s pc pc sh t pc s sh c t pc t pc s pc t s t s s t pc Today Hi Louisville 82 Memphis 86 Miami 92 Milwaukee 69 Minneapolis 61 Nashville 85 New Orleans 81 New York City 64 Oklahoma City 86 Omaha 79 Philadelphia 70 Phoenix 102 Portland, ME 56 Providence 67 Raleigh 82 Rapid City 72 Reno 87 Sacramento 80 St. Louis 80 Salt Lake City 87 San Diego 68 San Francisco 65 Seattle 61 Tucson 99 Washington, DC 75 Wichita 81 Lo 60 66 80 51 49 63 71 59 62 49 61 76 50 55 64 43 57 55 59 63 62 55 51 67 64 61 W pc pc t sh c pc t c pc s c pc c c t s pc pc t s pc pc sh pc t t Wed. Hi 80 85 91 68 72 83 83 75 87 80 79 101 63 72 85 79 71 79 81 91 69 69 70 99 79 85 Lo 58 68 79 53 53 62 73 60 66 60 59 77 52 58 63 52 51 55 64 65 62 56 55 68 61 67 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W s t pc pc s t c pc c s pc s pc pc pc pc pc pc s s pc pc c s pc t