NASHVILLE—An overwhelming feeling of grief and sadness enveloped the memorial held in Nashville to honor the memory of San Carlos Apache teenager, Emily Pike, who was the victim of a horrific murder earlier this year.
The memorial was held on Sunday afternoon, March 23, at the Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. A large crowd was in attendance from the local Indigenous community and its supporters. Many of the Indigenous came in tribal regalia and others in clothing emblematic of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement or adorned in red to represent the missing and murdered.
A feeling of anger and outrage accompanied the sentiments of anguish, heartbreak, and sorrow. Emily Pike, 14, disappeared from her group home in Mesa, Ariz. on Jan. 27. Her remains were found on Feb. 14, horribly dismembered, but were not identified until Feb. 27, and then only by dental records. To this day, there have been no responses from the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, despite weekly inquiries on the status of their investigation from this reporter.
In early March, the Indigenous Peoples Coalition (IPC) was contacted by the Nez family, originally from Arizona now living in Middle Tennessee, and was requested to organize a memorial in Emily’s honor. This was before there was widespread knowledge of the tragedy coursing through the news outlets. The IPC, of course, readily agreed to organize a service.
At the memorial service, speakers included Sally Wells, President of the Native American Indian Association, who opened the memorial with a prayer in her Native Choctaw language; Kahlea Nez , Pima/Nanajo, of the Nez family; Gloria Littlemouse, Assistant Professor, VUSN (Dineh); Melba Checote-Eads, Muscogee Creek Nation; and Melanie Bender, Mohave/Choctaw, IPC; and the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of the Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. The drum group, Eagle Nation, opened and closed the memorial with a drum song to honor Emily.
Speaker after speaker expressed their grief at this tragedy and their outrage that no results have come from the investigating law enforcement agencies. Speaker after speaker shouted out to the gathering, “Say Her Name,” which was answered again and again with the name shouted “Emily.” Speakers expressed their support of Emily’s family. The memorial was one of many held by Indigenous communities across the country in honor of Emily.
Emily’s body was released on March 28 and was taken to the family home on the San Carlos Reservation. On the following day, March 29, a memorial was held at the San Carlos High School, after which the burial took place.
It must be noted that the mainstream news outlets have completely ignored the horrific murder of Emily, while copiously reporting news of the tragedies of non-Native young people, an obvious disgraceful racist bias on the part of said media.
Pressure must be kept on the Gila County Sheriff’s Office for justice for Emily. The phone number to call for the Gila County Sheriff’s Office is 928-402-4373. That number should be flooded with calls requesting information on Emily’s shocking murder.
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