The week ahead, David Douglas High School Principal John Bier knew, would not be easy.



The teenage girls threatened on the MAX train last week both attend David Douglas High School. They and their classmates would struggle in the aftermath.



The girls, one who was wearing a hijab, were riding the train east toward Hollywood Transit Center last Friday when a known extremist began yelling racial slurs at them. Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, was later arrested and is accused of killing two men and seriously injuring another after the three intervened.



"This hits home with so many of our communities," Bier told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Wednesday. "It's been a difficult few days. It struck our staff and our student body pretty hard. An event like this can really trigger something."



The East Portland high school is one of the poorest and most diverse in Oregon. The school's 3,000 students speak roughly 50 different languages at home. It's the kind of school where young Muslims gather daily in the library to pray. Many came to Portland from refugee camps and war-torn countries. Others have experienced trauma, Bier said.





The 16- and 17-year-old girls need time and community support to heal, David Douglas Superintendent Ken Richardson said in a letter to the school community. But the trauma, Richardson said, is not theirs alone.



"This incident, as well as a rising tide of divisive rhetoric about immigration, race and religion, has sent ripples of fear and anxiety through our community," Richardson wrote in the letter sent to parents in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Somali.



In a video posted this weekend, one of the girls thanked those who supported her.



"The best thing you guys can help us out with," Destinee Mangum said, "is just giving me and my family time to process everything and for me to cope with what happened and to actually heal from this and get over this somehow."



Bier said he sent an email to the school's 170 teachers explaining what happened to the two students. He told teachers to look for signs of other students who may experience anxiety or trauma in the days to come. The school's head counselor sent out a detailed email explaining what to look for, Bier said.

"I told the teachers, 'Keep doing the work that you're doing, care about kids. Don't be afraid to talk to them about their emotions and what they're feeling," Bier said. "I think actions speak louder than words, so we're working with kids harder than we ever have before."



The school brought in additional counselors to help the seven who work regular shifts.



Richardson urged families to pull together in the coming days.



"Our students and staff value and celebrate our diversity and are a true bright spot in our community," he wrote. "Please join me in not allowing this event to define who we are as a community and instead to reassure, support and love our students and your children. Not only can we teach our students about tolerance, but we can also learn from them."

-- Casey Parks

503-221-8271

cparks@oregonian.com; @caseyparks





Read Richardson's letter:



Dear David Douglas Community,



Last Friday, a senseless act of violent hatred claimed the lives of two men and seriously wounded a third on a MAX train in East Portland. These men did nothing but stand up to defend two young women who were being verbally assaulted in a bigoted attack against their race and religion. The two young women are David Douglas High School students.



The David Douglas School District will be forever grateful to Rick Best, Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche and Micah Fletcher for shielding our students – complete strangers to them – from this hate-filled assault. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go to the families of Mr. Best and Mr. Namkai-Meche, and our wishes for a speedy recovery go to Mr. Fletcher. Though they did not live in our District, their heroic actions that day will forever remain in our hearts and a part of our David Douglas Scots family.



We are in contact with our two students and their families and are offering all the resources we can to help them through this trauma. They will need time and the love and support of our community to heal. But the trauma is not theirs alone.



This incident, as well as a rising tide of divisive rhetoric about immigration, race and religion, has sent ripples of fear and anxiety through our community. We want our families and their students to know that our schools, our classrooms and hallways and our outdoor places of play are safe for you.



We have zero tolerance for any discriminatory or harassing behavior, both by Board Policy and Resolution. Any such behavior toward anyone in our schools will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately. We have communicated with staff to be extra aware not only of harassing behavior, but of students who are experiencing anxiety or who just want a safe adult to talk to. Our counseling staff has been provided additional resources to better help them help our students.



Our School District is a beautiful, diverse community that has a positive impact and supports our students every day. Our students and staff value and celebrate our diversity and are a true bright spot in our community. Please join me in not allowing this event to define who we are as a community and instead to reassure, support and love our students and your children. Not only can we teach our students about tolerance, but we can also learn from them. I am hopeful that our entire community can learn from our students to come together as one, not in anger or divisiveness, but in compassion and empathy for each other, regardless of our differences.



Together, in all of our wonderful variety, we will Learn, Grow and Thrive.



Ken Richardson, Superintendent

David Douglas School District











