The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Friday called for a massive "multiracial, multicutural" demonstration in the Pacific Northwest to help Portland heal from the deadly MAX train attack and urged people to "turn this minus into a plus and not allow violence to be the brand of Portland."

A week after race-fueled stabbings caused the deaths of two men and serious injuries to a third, Jackson stood inside Northeast Portland's Augustana Lutheran Church with Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith and head pastor, the Rev. Mark Knutson, to denounce the attack.

The men stabbed while intervening on behalf of two teenage girls deserve a statue for their actions, Jackson said. He called them the "real definition of Portland" and said that the girls who were the subject of another train passenger's tirade shouldn't feel any guilt. One of the girls was wearing a hijab.

"This is a great city with such great people and we must not surrender the hope that's here," Jackson said. "But silence would be betrayal, some people must express themselves. We must not be silent as if all hope is lost."

Watch Rev. Jesse Jackson live

The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board will host Rev. Jesse Jackson at 2 p.m. today to discuss how Portland can heal after the race-fueled stabbings on MAX last week. Tune in at our

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Jackson's speech at the church kicked off a day in Portland with a schedule that included a breakfast with Portland-area faith leaders, a meeting with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a meeting with The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, and a banquet to honor county officials from across the country before catching a red-eye flight back to Chicago. He was attending a conference of the National Organization of Black County Officials.

Jackson arrived at the church with Smith around 7:45 a.m. in a small motorcade of two Chevy Suburbans and a Chevy Caprice and greeted people with handshakes, hugs and smiles as he made his way inside.

He said he hopes President Donald Trump reaches out to the families of all the victims and considers hosting them at the White House, saying it would be a good gesture to help in the healing process.

The attack in Portland could have happened anywhere, Jackson said, and it's up to everyone to work together to promote love, peace and co-existence.

"None of us are safe and secure until all of us are safe and secure," he said.

While later speaking to a crowd of about 50 in the church and with more than two dozen Portland-area leaders behind him, Jackson urged people to keep fighting for a version of Portland that "shows us living together as brothers and sisters, not dying apart as fools."

Jackson asked the crowd to pray for the girls who were targeted on the MAX train, the men who were stabbed and their families. He said the presidential election has fueled an undercurrent of fear throughout the country, and people can help to quell it by choosing inclusion over segregation. He again urged a mass march of people in the Pacific Northwest to illustrate love over hate, and he praised Oregon for its automatic voter registration system and said he hopes to see it implemented across the nation.

Jackson led everyone in a prayer after his speech and mingled among the crowd afterwards for several minutes as someone sang "Stand By Me."

Jackson later met with Micah Fletcher, who survived being stabbed in the MAX attack, at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Portland. Fletcher arrived around 4:40 p.m., in a hat and scarf around his neck, and was accompanied out by Jackson nearly an hour and a half later.

During a conversation with The Oregonian/OregonLive after Fletcher left, Jackson said he still hoped to speak to the two girls in person before leaving for Chicago later Friday night.

Jackson said they talked about how Fletcher was stabbed, and Jackson said he still found it remarkable Fletcher survived to tell his story.

Jackson said Fletcher felt guilty that he appears to be receiving more attention than the girls who were targeted and said he has been the subject of threats since being stabbed.

Jackson described Fletcher as caring, sensitive to racial injustice in Portland and worried about the lasting trauma the girls may endure. Jackson said he encouraged Fletcher to continue standing up for what he believed in and said he gave Fletcher his number to keep in touch.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey