Portland Train Stabbing (2017)

Date: May 26, 2017

Place: MAX Green Line train, Hollywood/Northeast 42nd Ave Transit Center, Portland, Oregon

Summary

On May 26, 2017, three men were stabbed after coming to the defense of two teenage girls who were the target of hate speech on a train in Portland, Oregon. One victim died at the scene, another died later in a hospital, and the third survived. The alleged attacker was quickly arrested by police and charged on multiple counts. The incident was widely seen as emblematic of a rise in openly racist and Islamophobic activity in the United States.

Key Events

• May 25, 2017—Jeremy Joseph Christian allegedly harasses a black woman at a train station in Portland, throwing a water bottle at her before being sprayed with mace.
• May 26, 2017, 4:30 p.m.—Christian shouts obscenities and hate speech on a train, specifically at two teenage girls. After three passengers intervene, Christian stabs them, two fatally.
• May 26, 2017, 4:48 p.m.—Police arrest Christian on an access road near Providence Portland Medical Center
• May 30, 2017—Christian’s arraignment is marked by him shouting hateful slogans, including defending terrorism as patriotism.
• June 6, 2017—A grand jury indicts Christian on fifteen counts, including aggravated murder.

Status

As of September 2017, Jeremy Joseph Christian was scheduled for a bail hearing on October 20, 2017. Federal authorities continued to investigate whether they would approach the case as a federal hate crime.

In-Depth Overview

Portland resident Jeremy Joseph Christian had a lengthy police record even before the May 2017 stabbings. He had been convicted of felonies for robbery, weapons charges, and kidnapping, and had been shot by police at the age of twenty after robbing a store. A 2011 conviction for possessing a weapon as a felon saw him released from prison under supervision, but he violated the terms of his release multiple times and returned to custody in 2013 for nine months. Upon release he was known to share extremist views on social media, espousing white supremacy and Nazi ideology, and expressing support for Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

On April 29, 2017, Christian was recorded demonstrating at a Portland free speech rally, shouting anti-Muslim and racist slogans and giving Nazi salutes. He drew attention from police, who confiscated a baseball bat he was carrying. On May 25, Christian allegedly confronted a black woman at the Interstate/Rose Quarter MAX train station in Portland, harassing her with racial taunts. After he threw a plastic bottle at the woman, she sprayed him with mace and called the police. After being questioned, Christian was released by the police, though video was captured in which he threatened to stab people.

On May 26, 2017, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Christian began shouting anti-Muslim and anti-minority slurs while riding the MAX Green Line train in northeast Portland. His main targets were two young women, a seventeen-year-old Muslim who was wearing a hijab, and her sixteen-year-old African American friend, later identified as Destinee Mangum. According to various reports, Christian told the girls they should kill themselves, that they should leave the country, and that they needed to “go back to Saudi Arabia.” The girls moved away to the back of the car, but Christian’s rant continued.

By this point, at least three other passengers moved between Christian and the girls in an attempt to intervene. They were Ricky John Best, a fifty-three-year-old father of four and army veteran; Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, twenty-three and a recent graduate of Reed College in Portland; and twenty-one-year-old student Micah David-Cole Fletcher. Best first tried to calm Christian down, and Namkai-Meche suggested Christian should leave the train, but the argument escalated. Over the train loudspeaker, the train operator asked for the instigating parties to leave the train and warned that they would call the police. Reportedly, Christian pushed Fletcher, who shoved him back. As Namkai-Meche held up his phone, Christian suddenly took out a knife with a 3.75-inch blade and stabbed all three men in their necks, around the time the train pulled into the Hollywood station.

When the train doors opened, many passengers—including the two girls—scattered and Christian threatened several before fleeing. A group chased him to help police keep track of him, and he was soon arrested outside of Providence Portland Medical Center after threatening police and daring them to shoot him. On the train, several passengers tried to attend to Best, Namkai-Meche, and Fletcher. Best succumbed to his injuries on the train, while the other two men were rushed to hospitals. Namkai-Meche died in the hospital, while Fletcher survived the incident.

The FBI assisted Portland police in investigating the incident, considering whether to label it domestic terrorism or a federal hate crime. Christian was charged with multiple counts, and a grand jury indicted him on fifteen, including several for the May 25 harassment incident. Among the charges were aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, first- and second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, and intimidation. In his court hearings, Christian made several outbursts, saying his actions were patriotic, calling for free speech, and claiming he was innocent of everything except self-defense against Fletcher.

Key Figures

Jeremy Joseph Christian: Alleged attacker, accused of stabbing three men who attempted to intervene during his outburst on a train.

Ricky John Best: Stabbing victim who died at the scene after attempting to de-escalate the situation on the train.

Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche: Stabbing victim who had attempted to de-escalate the situation on the train; he later died from his injuries at a hospital.

Micah David-Cole Fletcher: Stabbing victim who had attempted to de-escalate the situation on the train; he survived his injuries.

Destinee Mangum: Sixteen-year-old girl who was one of the two targets of Christian’s hate speech.

Bibliography

Associated Press (2017, May 28). The latest: 1 of 2 girls harassed on train speaks out. AP News. Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/f2c2936f0089427fabac57db7e92a303

Bernstein, M. (2017, June 2). Portland MAX hero’s last words: ‘Tell everyone on this train I love them.’ Oregon Live. Retrieved from http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/05/max‗heros‗last‗words‗tell‗ever.html

Ellis, R., McLaughlin, E. C., & Park, M. (2017, May 31). Portland stabbing suspect yells in court: Free speech or die. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/30/us/portland-train-teenager-stabbing-arraignment/index.html

Henderson, E. (2017, May 28). Two stabbed to death protecting Muslim women in Portland. The Daily Beast. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/two-stabbed-to-death-protecting-muslim-women-in-portland

Marco, T., Hanna, J., & Almasy, S. (2017, May 28). Portland train stabbings: FBI looking into possible hate crime charges. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/26/us/portland-train-stabbing/index.html

Wang, A. B. (2017, May 27). “Final act of bravery’: Men who were fatally stabbed trying to stop anti-Muslim rants identified. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/27/man-fatally-stabs-2-on-portland-ore-train-after-they-interrupted-his-anti-muslim-rants-police-say/