After nearly three years of trying to suppress the memory of a gruesome, painful afternoon, Portland is begrudgingly reacquainting itself with Jeremy Christian, the white supremacist charged with fatally stabbing two men and injuring another after they tried to defend two Black teenage girls—one of whom was wearing a hijab—from Christian’s racist diatribe on a MAX train. The trial for 37-year-old Christian, who’s facing two counts of first degree murder and 11 related charges, began on January 28. It’s expected to continue for more than a month.
The headline-grabbing trial will undoubtedly zero in on the specific actions Christian took on May 26, 2017 that led to the deaths of Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche. But for those following the case from outside the courtroom, it’s important to remember that the crime took place in an environment that allowed Christian’s violent behavior to thrive long before the criminal justice system decided it was worth prosecuting.
