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Just days after winning a seat on Portland's Montavilla neighborhood association board, MAX light-rail train stabbing survivor Micah Fletcher spoke about his entry into public life.
Fletcher talked about a wide range of topics at a press conference Thursday, from his trouble sleeping to his thoughts on the right-wing organizing group Patriot Prayer and its leader, Joey Gibson.
Speaking to media from inside a conference room at Portland State University, Fletcher began by answering a question about what it’s been like to return to school at PSU after the May 26 stabbing that left two people dead.
Fletcher is studying percussion.
“It’s really been a good distraction from all of this,” he said. “It’s made it so that I can actually at least pretend to live some semblance of a normal life.”
Fletcher rubbed his eyes and head throughout the conference. When asked how he’s handling everything from school to his personal life, he said he’s not handling it, adding he’d love to pretend he’s “well put together.”
“To be honest with you, it’s taking everything I can to not just fall asleep right now,” he told media.
Fletcher also talked about his ascendance into the spotlight and how he worries people only care to ask how he’s doing because of the stabbing incident. He attributed his concerns to his paranoia and struggles with self-image.
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“It’s very weird associating such a traumatic event with people caring about you,” he said. “When the only reason it seems like people care about you is because they can get something from you, it becomes very difficult to just be in public.”
On Monday, Fletcher won a seat on the Montavilla Neighborhood Association board, where he ran as an advocate for homeless people and the creation of an anti-racist neighborhood watch group.
Fletcher told reporters he’d love to return to a life of anonymity, but thinks that won’t be possible for a long time.
“This is going to be a two-year-long trial. We’re not even close to the exciting part yet,” Fletcher said, referring to the prosecution of the accused attacker in the case, Jeremy Christian.
“I get the feeling I’m not going to be left alone for a very solid amount of time because at the end of the day, I don’t know.”