Members of the Gila River Indian Community took to the streets on Saturday to march against what they are seeing as ongoing violence in their neighborhoods.
Several family members of deceased loved ones came out to speak about what they see is a lack of support for families who face violence in their community.
“He is somebody, and they treated him like he was nothing,” said Lynelle Blackwater, who says she lost her son to violence a few years ago.
Blackwater’s son, Ohitika Daniel Redbull, fell victim to violence in 2021. But when his attackers went to court, she says her son could not handle it.
“He told me when they were doing a plea agreement: 'I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t concentrate. I tried to share this with the judge and the prosecutors, they didn’t do anything,'” said Blackwater.
About a year later, Redbull took his own life.
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It is cases like these that Gila River Indian Community members are marching for.
They have four key demands:
- Enhanced law enforcement training and better staffing
- More collaborative efforts to address root causes of violence like poverty and generational trauma
- More support resources for families impacted by violence
- Better transparency and accountability from the community council.
“My daughter can never come home, and it’s not fair. A short time of their life for taking my daughter’s life, you know?” said Cheryl Miller, who lost a daughter.
Blackwater began a crime victims support group in 2021, and at that time, counted 93 unsolved missing or murder cases in their community. Since then, the number has gone up to 143.
It is something she says cannot stand.
“Every one of those victims is a person, they’re someone’s child, they’re someone’s father, brother or son or grandson, and they need justice,” said Blackwater.
