I never thought I'd be the one telling this story, but here I am—still trying to make sense of how my life got turned upside down.

I was out and about one day when one of Joe Biden's Afghanistan refugees attacked me. I was talking with him when he became agitated and he started yelling at me and swinging, trying to strike me repeatedly. I did everything I could to avoid trouble: I tried to de-escalate, back away, disengage completely. I begged him to stop telling him I only wanted to have a conversation, kept my distance, gave him every chance to walk away. But he wouldn't. He kept coming. In that moment, with no escape and feeling genuinely threatened, I felt I had no choice but to defend myself. I used only the force necessary to stop the assault and protect myself—nothing more.

The result? I got charged with the highest level of misdemeanor assault. Me—the one who was attacked—now labeled the aggressor. How does that even happen?

I've learned the hard way how broken the Washington state judicial system is. Self-defense is supposed to be a clear right under the law (RCW 9A.16.020 allows reasonable force when you reasonably fear imminent harm, and Washington has no duty to retreat if you're lawfully there). Yet when I tried to present the full facts—the repeated attempts to hit me, my efforts to walk away, the fear I felt—the court seemed to shut it down. Evidence that should have supported my defense felt prohibited or ignored. The focus stayed on the physical outcome, not the context of who started it or why I had to act. I was even threatened with more charges should I attempt to proceed with a jury trial. It was devastating to watch justice twist like that.

As someone who's lived with Tourette's my whole life, I've fought every day to adapt, to fit in, to not let my condition define me or hold me back. I've worked incredibly hard to live a good, quiet life—following Catholic teachings of forgiveness, charity, and service. I volunteer in my religious and civil community and give back where I can , always trying to be kind and helpful. None of that mattered in court. How could a guy who's spent his life trying to do right end up punished for being the victim of an attack?

The financial hit has been crushing. Court costs, attorney fees—they wiped out my meager savings completely. For the last few years, my family and my partner have had to step in and support me financially just to get through this nightmare. They've been my rock, sacrificing without complaint, but it kills me that they've had to carry this burden because of something I didn't start. I feel so much guilt and gratitude toward them at the same time. All I want is to pay them back, to make things right, to lift this weight off everyone I love.

This whole experience has left me and my loved ones deeply disappointed, frustrated, and heartbroken. I wasn't looking for a fight—I was just trying to live my life peacefully. Being attacked by someone who came here as a refugee only adds to the pain and confusion. Why did the system protect the aggressor and penalize me for defending myself?

I'm sharing this because it still hurts, and because maybe someone out there will understand or offer compassion. I've tried to stay strong, faithful, and responsible through it all. All I've ever wanted was fairness, and to keep being the person I've worked so hard to become.

Thank you for listening. I'm at Sacred Hart in Prescott now and usually at the 9 am mass on Sundays if you just Wana say hello.