By Lilly Workneh, huffingtonpost.com
A 21-year-old man who was stabbed by a white supremacist in Portland, Oregon, on Friday says the two young black women he helped protect are the real victims of the vicious attack, not him.
In an emotional six-minute video posted to Facebook on Wednesday, Micah Fletcher called out the city’s “white savior complex” and what he believes is a glaring disparity in the praise and support he has received in comparison to the young women, one of whom is Muslim and was wearing a hijab.
Fletcher, who was one of three white men who came to the girls’ defense on Friday, acknowledged the pain and trauma the young women must be experiencing since the attack, which led to the deaths of two other men who tried to intervene: Ricky Best, 53, and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23.
Fletcher, who expressed gratitude for the widespread support he has received, encouraged others to support the families of those who died but also urged people to focus on the young women ― and to contribute to a fundraising campaign in their honor.
“There is a problem,” he said in the video. “We are forgetting what is in my opinion the most important part of this entire series of events … We need to remember that this is about those little girls.”