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TriMet selects design for tribute wall honoring MAX attack victims

The agency says the wall will honor the people who lost their lives, "as well as recognize the courage of those who were targeted by and stood up to hatred and violence."

PORTLAND, Ore. – TriMet has announced the design it selected for a tribute wall at the Hollywood Transit Center to honor the victims of a brutal stabbing on a MAX train last year.

Rick Best, 53, and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23 were killed in the attack on May 26, 2017, as the train pulled into the transit center in Northeast Portland. The men were defending two women against Jeremy Christian, who was unleashing a hate-filled, racist rant toward them. A third man who also defended the women, Micah Fletcher, was also stabbed and wounded, but he survived.

In the days following the attack, a memorial filled with flowers, candles and supportive messages written in chalk grew at the transit center.

The memorial at the Hollywood Transit Center after the May, 2017 attack.

TriMet says the wall will honor the people who lost their lives, “as well as recognize the courage of those who were targeted by and stood up to hatred and violence.”

On Wednesday, four artists presented their tribute wall designs to TriMet’s tribute advisory committee.

Trimet - HTC TRIBUTE WALL 2018_concept Images by KGW News on Scribd

On Thursday, the agency selected the design by Sarah Farahat and her team.

Conceptual design by Farahat's team (Photo: TriMet)

“I am deeply honored that the committee and TriMet have entrusted this project into our care. I look forward to sharing more about the project in the coming weeks after speaking in depth with the review committee," Farahat said in a TriMet press release. "I have a very committed team of artists, educators and activists that will come together in the next few months to not only create a beautiful memorial, but also to cultivate further understanding across differences to celebrate our city’s richly diverse cultural heritage, and to demonstrate the fierce love that Portlanders are learning to show for each other in these difficult times.

Farahat will receive input from the advisory committee before the final design is created.

Conceptual design by Farahat's team (Photo: TriMet)

TriMet will also place a 4-by-6-foot plaque at the transit center in honor of the three men and two women who were victims of the attack. It will be made of porcelain enamel and steel, and will include both words and images.

Trimet HTC TRIBUTE WALL 2018 Concept Images (Text)

TriMet plans to have the full tribute in place by the end of the year.

Learn more about the tribute

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