AND
AND AT
AND AT THE TIME, HE HAS BEEN ROBBED, CHASED, BEATEN AND
STABBED.
STABBED.
STABBED. HOMELESS PEOPLE FACE THAT
PROBLEM FAR TOO OFTEN.
IN FISHERS CASE, IT CHANGED HIS
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. ONE
LIFE. ONE MORE WARNING, HIS STORY IS
HARD TO HERE .
>> I SEE HIS EYES BECAUSE HE
WAS NOSE TO NOSE WITH ME WHEN
HE STUCK ME WITH THE KNIFE.
I HEAR HIS VOICE.
I FEEL HIS WEIGHT ON ME.
>> Reporter: THE FLASHBACKS
COME WITHOUT WARNING .
>> I FEEL THE FEAR THAT I CAN'T
FIND MY DOG AND THINKING THAT
SHE IS DEAD ALREADY AND I'M
NEVER GOING TO SEE HER AGAIN,
LIKE I WILL NEVER SEE MY FAMILY
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
AGAIN. >>
AGAIN. >> Reporter: THERE IS NO
STOPPING THEM .
>> AND YES, SO, YEAH, THOSE ARE
THE HARDEST THINGS TO DEAL WITH.
>> Reporter: BETTER TO PLAY
MUSIC, FIND A DISTRACTION .
>> ARE WE GOING BACK IN?
>> Reporter: AND MOVE FORWARD.
AT THE AGE OF 30, GARRETT JAMES
FISHER IS ADJUSTING TO LIFE
WITHOUT LEGS.
WITHOUT LEGS. HE IS PARALYZED FROM THE WAIST
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. IT
DOWN. IT HAPPENED ALMOST 2 MONTHS AGO
ON THE EVENING OF AUGUST 1.
FISHER WAS HOMELESS AND CAMPING
IN SOUTHEAST PORTLAND.
SMITH I GOT BACK TO MY CAMPING
SPOT NEAR HOME SEE BY THE
BRIDGE WHERE IT MEETS THE ROAD.
>> Reporter: AFTER SPENDING THE
DAY SEARCHING FOR A FRIEND WHO
FELL OFF THE RADAR, FISHER
RETURNED TO CAMP, FRUSTRATED
AND HIGH.
AND HIGH.
AND HIGH. THE LIFELONG OREGONIAN AND ONCE
CLASSICAL MUSIC MAJOR AT PSU
HAD BEEN MOVED USING METH AND
SAYS ANOTHER HOMELESS MAN
APPROACHED THEM .
>> IN THE SLIGHTEST WAY
POSSIBLE, IT WAS LIKE DUDE, YOU
NEED TO BE LEAVING ME ALONE.
I DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED.
I'M TIRED AND FRUSTRATED.
CAN I TALK TO YOU LATER?
>> Reporter: PROSECUTORS SAY
THAT MAN, JACOB LANCE HE WAS A
RECOVERING ADDICT.
RECOVERING ADDICT. ACCORDING TO REPORTS, HE WAS
MAD THAT FISHER WAS
>>>.
>>>.
>>>. FISHER DESCRIBES HERE WHAT HE
SAYS HAPPENED NEXT .
>> I LOOKED UP AND HE HAD THIS
MEAN LOOK ON HIS FACE AND HE
WALKED OVER, JUMPED OVER ON TOP
OF ME, HIS WEIGHT CRUSHED ME
AND PUT ME IN A HEADLOCK, BENT
MY HEAD DOWN AND PUNCHED ME
ONCE.
ONCE.
ONCE. THE
ONCE. THE SECOND TIME HE PUNCHED ME
BEHIND THE BACK, HE OPENED UP
THE KNIFE THAT ORIGINALLY WAS
MINE AND STABBED ME UNDER THE
LEFT SCAPULA AND TURNED IT, DUG
IN AND HIT MY SPINAL COLUMN.
>> HE SAYS THE TWO LOCKED EYES.
>> AND I FELT LIKE THE
SLIGHTEST POP IN THE MIDDLE OF
MY BACK WERE HE HAD CUT THE
SPINAL CORD AND THEN IT WAS
LIKE LIGHTS GOING UP ON THE
CITY.
CITY.
CITY. JUST A FEELING JUST LEAVING,
DRAINING AWAY DOWN MY LEGS.
>> Reporter: IT TOOK MORE THAN
AN HOUR FOR SOMEONE TO FIND
FISHER, BLEEDING ON THE STREET
AND CALL 9-1-1. HIS DOG WAS
FOUND HIDING IN THE BUSHES
UNHARMED.
UNHARMED.
UNHARMED. SHE IS NOW STAYING WITH FAMILY
WELL FISHER GRAPPLES WITH HIS
NEW REALITY.
NEW REALITY. LOOKING BACK, HE NEW LIFE ON
THE STREETS WAS DANGEROUS .
>> IN THE ONE YEAR I HAVE BEEN
HOMELESS IN PORTLAND, I'VE BEEN
ROBBED SEVERAL TIMES, I'VE BEEN
NEARLY BEATEN UP.
>> Reporter: NATIONAL
STATISTICS SHOW IT IS A REALITY
IN MOST MAJOR CITIES.
HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE
DISPROPORTIONATELY THE VICTIMS
OF VIOLENT CRIMES.
ONE STUDY CITED BY THE L.A.
TIMES SHOWS A 49% OF HOMELESS
ADULTS SURVEYED HAD BEEN THE
VICTIM OF A VIOLENT ATTACK AND
62% HAD WITNESSED AN ATTACK.
HERE IN PORTLAND, RECENT
HEADLINES PAINT A SIMILAR
PICTURE.
PICTURE.
PICTURE. LAST MONTH, POLICE REPORTED TWO
HOMELESS PEOPLE WERE THE
VICTIMS OF A HIT AND RUN.
WITNESSES SAID THE DRIVER HAD
BEEN TAUNTING THEM BEFORE HAND.
THE SAME WEEK, PROSECUTORS
CHARGED A HOMEOWNER IN PORTLAND
FOR LIGHTING A CAMP ON FIRE.
JUST LAST NIGHT, KGW REPORTED
THE STORY OF A MAN WHO CALLED
911 WHEN HE SAW TEENAGERS
ATTACKING A HOMELESS MAN
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN. FOR NOW, FISHER IS JUST TRYING
TO RECOVER FROM HIS OWN ATTACK.
THIS WEEK, HE MOVED INTO AN
ADULT FOSTER HOME IN TYGART
INSURANCE WILL PAY FOR HIM TO
STAY FOR 1 YEAR.
THEN HE HOPES TO GET A JOB AND
EVENTUALLY GET INVOLVED IN
LOCAL POLITICS.
LOCAL POLITICS. HE WANTS TO HELP SOLVE THE
HOUSING CRISIS THAT HE FEARS
PUTS SO MANY AT RISK .
>> YOU KNOW, GET MORE SHELTERS,
MORE RESPONSE, MORE ATTENTION
TO SHELTERS TO HELP PEOPLE IN
THEIR AND GET PEOPLE OFF THE
STREETS AT LEAST AT NIGHT AND
MAKE THINGS SAFER FOR PEOPLE.
>> HE IS WORKING SO HARD.
BY THE WAY, MORE CONTACTS IN
THIS CASE.
THIS CASE. WE DUG INTO LANSING'S RECORD
AND NO PAST VIOLENT OFFENSES WE
COULD FIND.
COULD FIND. GARRETT JAMES FISHER SAYS LANCE
HE ACTUALLY CAME BACK BRIEFLY
TO PUT A CLOTH ON HIS WOUND BUT
LEFT HIM AGAIN BLEEDING ON THE