BEMIDJI 鈥� More than 1,500 miles from where 14-year-old Emily Pike was found dead, dozens gathered at Paul Bunyan Park on Friday afternoon to honor her memory and demand justice for the death that rocked the Indigenous community.
Held by MMIW 218, the event aimed to raise awareness for the still-unsolved case and highlighted the violence Indigenous relatives face on a broader scale.
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Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona, was reported missing in late January. According to reports, she was last seen walking in Mesa, a Phoenix suburb, after leaving her group home.
According to the Gila County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, her remains were found off U.S. Route 60 in eastern Arizona on Feb. 14. The sheriff鈥檚 office noted in a Feb. 27 Facebook post that Pike鈥檚 death is being investigated as a homicide, but no formal charges have been brought in the case.
Dressed in pink, Pike鈥檚 favorite color, each attendee was given a rose to hold as they gathered near Bemidji's Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues. Ahead of the event, organizers provided cards for people to sign that would be given to Pike鈥檚 family.
After an opening drum song, Bemidji City Councilor At-Large Audrey Thayer brought attention to the oppression that Indigenous women and girls face every day.
鈥淚 am tired of this. I鈥檓 tired that as women and as families, we do not know when this is going to happen to any of our families,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to ask you all to be vigilant, take care of each other, know your neighbors and help those who are in need.鈥�
MMIW 218 organizer Simone Senogles welcomed attendees and expressed that Pike鈥檚 family was aware of the event and thankful for their support.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy to be here with you all and also so sad to be here with you all. Thank you for coming out to honor this young girl,鈥� she said to the attendees. 鈥淲e鈥檙e one of many other groups across the nation that are honoring her, and not just her but all of them, all of the people that we鈥檝e lost, whether they鈥檙e from our community or anywhere across Turtle Island.鈥�
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Senogles shared some alarming statistics from 2024, noting that Indigenous women face higher rates of violence, including murder, sexual assault and physical abuse, than other groups.
鈥淪ome Indigenous women experience murder rates that are 10 times higher than the national average. Murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are concerns about the lack of data and accountability in cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, with many cases not being reported or investigated adequately.鈥�
A family friend of Pike, Michelle Brun, attended the event and took a moment to read a message from Pike鈥檚 family about the young girl.
鈥淓mily Pike is our daughter, our granddaughter, sister, niece and cousin,鈥� Brun read. 鈥淗er favorite color was pink and she loved to draw. She listened to Billie Eilish and played Roblox. She loved her family very much.
"... Losing her is hard enough, but the way she was taken from us is even more traumatizing. Although the pain is unbearable, the outpouring of love and support has been amazing during this difficult time.鈥�
As northern Minnesota faces its own missing person cases, MMIW 218 organizer Valahlena Steeprock drew a connection between Pike and the disappearances of two Indigenous teenagers in Bemidji: Nevaeh Kingbird, who went missing in October 2021 at the age of 15, and 17-year-old Jeremy Jourdain, who disappeared on Halloween day in 2016.
鈥淎ll over Indian country, some families don鈥檛 get to bring their loved ones home and so I just want to remember all the missing and murdered Indigenous people today,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is for them. This is for Emily Pike, that poor baby didn鈥檛 deserve what she went through. And when I look at her, I see Nevaeh, I see Jeremy, I see all the MMIW.鈥�
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Underscoring the emotion felt throughout the crowd, MMIW 218 organizer Audrianna Goodwin recited a poem written by Abigail Echo-Hawk, a poet who often writes about Indigenous experiences.
"It鈥檚 not the first time I鈥檝e heard it. Story told with wet eyes of limbs scattered, of hearts broken, of mothers left behind, of fathers who weep, of family who scream," she read. "Too often the sounds echo canyons of nothingness. Of invisibility. Of apathy. Of a country whose been trying to kill us. Now, letting their predators do it.
鈥淪tep into the canyon. Let their grief touch our skin. New ancestors swirling in winds, filling our throats, lifting our fists, printing new ink across our tongues that reads 鈥楯ustice, we will only accept justice.鈥欌��
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