Help TG Firestone Heal After Violent Assault

Please Help Support Our Friend T.G. Firestone

Hey everyone — I’m reaching out because our friend TG really needs our help right now. Several days ago, TG and a neighbor were violently assaulted just blocks from their homes by several unstable, transient individuals believed to be high on meth. TG was struck in the face with a skateboard and suffered extreme trauma to his left eye. It’s hard to even write that sentence — it’s the kind of thing you never imagine happening in your own neighborhood.

TG has been through an awful lot since then. He already had one surgery on his left eye and doctors are going in for a second, hoping it will heal enough to one day support a prosthetic iris, lens, and pupil. TG currently has 0% vision in that eye.

Thankfully, there were no fractures or brain injuries — but the physical, emotional, and financial toll has been immense. Even with insurance, the costs of multiple surgeries, recovery time, and lost income are far beyond what coverage provides.

For those who know TG, you know how much he’s given to the Portland film community over the past 20+ years — from Portlandia and Paranoid Park to Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Night Moves, First Cow, and Showing Up, as well as groundbreaking documentary work that’s taken him around the world with VICE on HBO.

As a cinematographer, TG’s craft depends on sight, precision, and artistry. Adapting to life and work with one functioning eye will be an enormous challenge — but if anyone can face it with grace, creativity, and grit, it’s this guy.

If you’ve ever worked with TG, or just shared a beer and a laugh — you know how much heart and humor he brings to everything. How much he loves his friends and his town.

If you’re able, please consider contributing to help cover medical costs and living expenses during this long recovery. Every bit of support — financial, emotional, or otherwise — means the world right now.

We love you, TG and we want you to “focus" on healing.