In Portland, like the rest of the nation, displays of hatred against Muslims is on the rise. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of anti-Muslim hate groups in the United States tripled in 2016, from 34 to 101. And the FBI reported a 67 percent surge in attacks on Muslims in 2015, the latest data available, demonstrating levels not seen since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The killings of Rick Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche on May 26 on a Portland MAX train are the most recent acts of horrific violence in a country that is on the edge. In the wake of the attack, which also severely injured Micah David-Cole Fletcher, the Muslim community, already cautious of public spaces, is fearful of things to come.
Safety concerns on public transport are nothing new – for riders or for operators.
A June 10 rally that was organized to oppose Sharia Law was moved to Seattle, but Laila Hajoo, director of Islamic Social Services of Oregon State, or ISOS, remains concerned about the fallout. ISOS is a nonprofit charitable organization that serves people in need.
“It’s a trickle effect,” she said. “Things like this will be seen and can trigger violence at mosques, buses, schools, everywhere.” Indeed, stabbing suspect Jeremy Joseph Christian had attended a free-speech rally in April, where video footage shows him draped in an American flag, performing Nazi salutes, shouting racial slurs, venting about “safe spaces,” and threatening police officers. Almost one month later, he would step onto the train to harass two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab.
“It’s not only dangerous to be a Muslim; it’s dangerous to be in a public spaces with a Muslim,” Hajoo said.
With protests organized by the grassroots anti-Muslim group ACT for America planned in 22 cities across the nation, Hajoo is deeply concerned for public safety.
“Minority groups are in jeopardy here,” Hajoo said. “The spark has been ignited. How do we control the flames?”
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Fear among Hajoo’s community members has reached the point that they’re advising female members not to go anywhere alone, especially if they are wearing a hijab.
“Public places don’t feel safe anymore,” she said.
The battle over safety in public spaces is not new, but with the heightened level of vitriol in Portland, the issue is creating more urgency. And people are starting to step up, from local shop owners creating “You are safe here” posters and hanging them in their windows to the Portland Police Bureau offering extra patrols for Muslims during Ramadan, which lasts until June 25, and working with local youth programs that provide safe spaces for young immigrants.
Portlanders rallied in strength on June 4, with counter demonstrators far outnumbering the crowd at a pro-Trump rally in Terry Schrunk Plaza, which was organized by white nationalists outside of Portland.
Even if the flashpoints can be written off as the bad actions of a few, they are what Hajoo and others are fearful of, especially considering that when bystanders stood up to intervene, they were met with violence.
“People want to feel safe, and now they are shirking out of fear,” Hajoo said. “Now, when people see harassment, they will remember those two gentlemen, and they will think, ‘I do not want my life taken if I intervene.’ The bullies are more empowered now than ever.”
Public transportation, with its close and contained environment and a diversity of riders, poses a challenging setting for confrontation. In addition, aside from the occasional security guard or fare inspector, riders often must police themselves and hope that others will do the same.
TriMet employee Gordon Duncan, who has been a bus driver for 16 years, told Street Roots that in the past five to six years, he’s only seen a security guard one time. The security guards he speaks of, GS4, are contracted through TriMet and, he said, don’t really have the authority to do anything. They’re like rent-a-cops.”
Duncan said that he and others have complained about security a number of times but that there is a “lackadaisical effort by TriMet” to remedy the situation.
If there is an altercation on the MAX or on the bus, drivers are not expected to intervene physically in any way, even if the harassment and assault is happening to them. They are expected to press their police button, but by the time police arrive, it is often too late and the perpetrator has already left. Unfortunately, Duncan said, “driving the bus is not a good environment to work in. We feel like we have no backup.”
The Amalgamated Transit Union is currently in contract negotiations with TriMet.
TriMet currently has 61 transit police officers and 15 contracted security personnel through the company G4S Security Systems.
TriMet spokesperson Angela Murphy said TriMet actually funds 68 police positions, all pulled from community police bureaus. However, seven of those positions remain unfilled because local police bureaus are already short staffed. Murphy said they have contracted to hire an additional 10 to 15 G4S officers and have expedited adding patrols in advance of the Rose Festival.
Jared Franz, public policy coordinator with the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents TriMet employees, called the increase a ruse.
“It’s what they would do anyway for Rose Festival,” he said. “Once it’s over, they’ll pull the extra. Any increase is temporary and normal.”
Murphy said that after the Rose Festival, TriMet will reassess its security needs.
Even with the additional security, it doesn’t come close to covering the span of public transit in the region. On a typical afternoon, TriMet has about 550 buses and 47 trains in operation.
Transit union board member Anthony Forrester, who has been a MAX operator for 14 years, said safety was a concern.
“Harassment is an everyday occurrence on TriMet, especially for women and people of color,” he said.
Hajoo agrees.
“This is not something new,” she said. “Latinos and African-Americans have faced it and still do; now it’s coming to us. It’s just a matter of knowing how to be more effective and organized. It requires guidance. People need to hear from authorities so that they are motivated to stand up for justice.”
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Hajoo finds hope in the hearts of people who have stood up to hate, from raising more than half a million dollars for the victims’ families to the outpouring of support for the two young women who were assaulted.
“People are asking, ‘How can I help?’ Smile at a Muslim. Makes them feel welcomed. Our community is so humbled, and we feel close to PDX for the community response.”