PORTLAND, Ore. – Ahead of the game against the San Jose Earthquakes Friday night at Providence Park, the Portland Timbers and the Timbers Army combined to honor the victims and families affected by the terrible event that took place last week on a TriMet MAX train.
Prior to the national anthem, the stadium held a moment of silence to honor those affected by the tragedy. In addition, Timbers players wore black armbands for the match.
The Timbers Army was also involved as they unveiled a special tifo display on the North End capo stand that read, “We Must Live For One Another.”
The line was from a poem written by 21-year-old Micah Fletcher, one of the three individuals who came to the aid of two girls who were the target of racist taunts by an individual on a MAX train ride. The racist attacker stabbed the three men defending the girls, killing Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Rick Best, 53, while Fletcher survived. The attacker was later arrested by Portland Police.
Fletcher, a Portland State University student and winner of a city-wide high school poetry contest in 2013, wrote the poem while recovering from his wounds in the hospital. The full text was posted on his Facebook page:
"I, am alive,
. I spat in the eye of hate and lived.
This is what we must do for one another
We must live for one another
We must fight for one Mother
We must die in the name dfreedome if we have
to. Luckily it's not my turn today."
The Timbers recognize those citizens who stood up against hatred and bigotry.
