Growing violence in the Gila River Indian Community drew hundreds to protest there over the weekend. Organizers claim there are at least 140 unsolved crimes from across the nearly 600-square-mile reservation south of Phoenix.
The crowd yelled: “Say her name: Karen Peter.”
The beloved elder is the latest in a long list of victims whose names were shouted by community members marching through the streets of Sacaton on Saturday. She died last week from complications after being raped and brutally beaten a month earlier.
Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis took to social media on Friday, sharing that tribal police arrested two juveniles and an adult – all of whom are fellow community members.
None of their names have been released yet, due to an ongoing investigation between the FBI and Gila River Police Department.
Lewis characterized this incident as “especially heartbreaking and upsetting” since Peter was “taken from her family, her district and our community in a violent way,” emphasizing it’s “not an isolated incident.”
“These arrests won’t bring Ms. Peter back, but we must ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable,” he added. “We all know that there have been too many incidences of violence lately.”
Lewis recently extended a youth curfew until May, but march organizer Letha Lamb said that’s “a band aid” to a much bigger problem, adding “we’re tired of what’s happening, we’re done, and we want to see change.”
Like stronger laws, ordinances and even constitutional reform.
While Lamb mentioned the curfew has “helped in some ways,” this measure isn’t stopping perpetrators from committing heinous crimes. She and demonstrators marched from the Mul-Chu-Tha Fairgrounds to the tribe's Governance Center, where Lewis listened to emotional families recount their difficult stories.
Following the protest, Lewis shared in a statement to KJZZ that the tribe has increased patrolling and “stepped up efforts to inform community members of gun-related incidents and 911 emergencies that impact public safety.”
Still, protesters, like Lamb, insist it’s not enough.
“If there is an effort to bring in Department of Justice, the FBI, whomever is willing to help us, I think that this is the time that we ask for it,” she added, “and that we reach our handout, because it’s definitely needed – now or never.”
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