Aaron Salazar, a Portland State University student who was traveling back from Colorado to Portland, was found brutally beaten in an Amtrak station on May 15. The family suspect the attack was a hate crime, while Amtrak says it may have been a suicide attempt. Salazar sustained damage to his brain stem during the attack and has been in a coma since the incident.
Now several Oregon members of Congress have penned open letter to Richard Andersen, the CEO of Amtrak, expressing dismay about the attack and calling for an in-depth investigation. Signed by Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader, Suzanne Bonamici and Peter DeFazio, as well as Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, the letter says “this incident have have been a hate crime against [Salazar].”
Amtrak reportedly has not been investigating this incident as a potential crime, so the demand for a report on the investigation is particularly noteworthy.
“We have seen an increase in hate crimes across the country. The timing of this incident happens just one year after a white supremacist began harassing two women of color on Portland transit,” the letter reads, describing the Portland MAX stabbing that left two men dead last year. “We expect a full report on the investigation of this crime, to our federal delegation and to Aaron’s family,” the letter concludes.
The only Oregon member of Congress who didn’t sign the letter: Republican Greg Walden.
The family of the victim has established a GoFundMe to help pay for medical costs. Updates from that page say Salazar is now able to breathe on his own.