Portland stabbings: Family of man slain while defending Muslim woman calls on Trump to denounce hate crimes

The mother of Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche has written an open letter to the President

The 23-year-old final words were 'Tell everyone on this train I love them' (Courtesy of family)

The family of one the men stabbed to death while trying to protect a train passenger from racial abuse, has called on Donald Trump to speak out against hate crime and violence.

Mr Trump was criticised for waiting three days before he commented on the attack in Portland, Oregon. In a tweet posted on the presidential twitter handle, rather than his personal one, he said: “The violent attacks in Portland on Friday are unacceptable. The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance. Our prayers are w/ them.”

Three men were stabbed after they went to the aid of a teenage girl, Destinee Mangum, and her friend, who were allegedly being racially abused. Two of the men, army veteran Ricky John Best, 53, and college graduate Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, 23, were killed, while the third, poet Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, suffered a knife wound to the neck. He is still in hospital.

Angel Sauls, left, helps her stepdaughter Coco Douglas arrange a sign and some painted rocks she made for a memorial in Portland, Oregon, in memory of the two bystanders who were stabbed to death on Friday while trying to stop a man who was yelling anti-Muslim slurs and acting aggressively toward two young women (Gillian Flaccus/AP)

Asha Deliverance, the mother of Mr Namkai-Meche, has written to Mr Trump, urging him to denounce the sort of violence that led to her son’s death.

“You have said that you will be President for all Americans. So, I ask you Mr. President to take action at this time. Your words and actions are meaningful, here in America and throughout the world,” she said in an open letter.

“Please encourage all Americans to protect and watch out for one another. Please condemn any acts of violence, which result directly from hate speech and hate groups. I am praying you will use your leadership to do so.”

She said her son had died a hero, after fighting to defend freedom.

“Our family grieves, but we are proud that through his selfless action he, along with the other two men, has changed the world, when in the face of hate he did not hesitate to act with love,” she wrote.

“Two precious lives were lost this Memorial Day weekend in Portland and one more, nearly so. All three were strangers to each other, and to those they were defending.

“They fearlessly risked their lives for two young women who were threatened by an act of bigotry and terror. These brave men saw the immediate injustice and didn’t hesitate to act. They recognised the truth: we are more alike than we are different.”

The actions of the men who went to help the 16-year-old have sparked admiration and praise from around the world. Meanwhile, more than than $800,000 has been raised for their families to help with costs.

Muslim communities helped raise $330,543, while two other finds were established to cover the victims’ hospital bills, funeral costs and other expenses.That has raised raised more than $500,000.

Jeremy Christian, said to be a white supremacist, has been charged with with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder over the stabbings. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Mr Myrddin Namkai-Meche’s eldest brother told The Independent he was not surprised by the young man’s actions. He said he was someone who was a source of strength and admiration to his friends, and his college teachers.

“I’m so proud of him,” said the brother, who asked that he not be named.

He said the family have been moved by the messages of support from around the world, and the comments of Ms Mangum, who delivered an emotional message of thanks.

“I just want to say thank you to the people who put their life on the line for me,” the 16-year-old told KPTV. “Because they didn’t even know me, and they lost their lives because of me and my friend and the way we look.”

After he was fatally stabbed, another passenger went to Mr Myrddin Namkai-Meche’s aid.

That passenger Rachel Macy, told OregonLive that as medics put him on a stretcher and took him away, his final words were: “Tell everyone on this train I love them.”

The young man’s brother said his mother had also been able to speak with Ms Macy.

He said his mother’s message was directed just at Mr Trump but all the world’s leaders.

He said: “They need to take care, not just of their own, but everyone in the world.”