It's a moment he'll never forget.
James Blue paid the painful price for what he believed last month. He'll never walk again.
"I'm angry, I'm angry that people can just take your life and your livelihood away from you," he said. "I'm angry I'm going to be stuck in this damn wheelchair for the rest of my life."
Blue, who is being treated at UC Irvine Medical Center, was stabbed numerous times July 26 when he confronted a group of taggers hanging around his truck in Anaheim.
Police said the area along Stinson Street is filled with gangs constantly claiming their territory. It's also where Blue built a scrap metal and recycling business out of his truck and where he and his wife Sandra often visited.
"My whole business is gone. My whole life has been uprooted," he said. "See as I am angry and it would be so easy to ask for revenge, it would be so easy."
Although easy to ask, that ultimately wasn't what the former oil refinery worker wanted. Instead, he wanted to make sure no one acted out on his behalf.
There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood he's worked with over the years who have been deeply impacted by his attack. His message to them, if they wanted to do something for him, they should "get an education."
The compassion he has for the kids in the neighborhood extends beyond just a few people.
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He said, the one thing he's learned in his 51 years on this earth, is that no matter how tough your life may seem there is always someone else who is worse off. Physically his momentum has stopped but his heart wants to continue touching the community he tried to protect.
"Don't let them win cause as it standpoint right now, they're winning and the rest of society is losing," he said. "Start taking care of each other, start listening to each other cause even if I die tomorrow, I got this message out."
As far as any leads in his case, detectives have continued to talk to Blue and his wife and police said they received a good tip this week.
Blue is leaving it up to God to "deal with it cause that's the best I can do right now, it's the only thing that's actually keeping me from actually giving up right now."
As for his recovery, he's guessing it will take a year to get a wheelchair and be functional again, he wants to be able to go back to the Anaheim neighborhood he loved.
A fundraising site has been set up to help Blue and his family.
