GRIC honors MMIP with Community walk

Jeston Morris

Gila River Indian News

Over 500 people participated in this year’s Missing & Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Awareness event, hosted by the Gila River Indian Community’s Victim Services Department (VSD) in partnership with the Gila River Police Department (GRPD) and the Tribal Recreation and Wellness Department (TRW). The event included a one-mile and 5k walk/run at the Sacaton Fairgrounds on May 3. 

“The MMIP event turnout is very successful. Participation for this year’s event increased significantly,” said Krystal Bergen-Tsosie, coordinator for Crime Victim Services.

This year’s MMIP event theme is “Remember Them” and succeeded expectation with record participation.

Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and Lt. Gov. Regina Antone spoke at the beginning of the event. 

“Our relatives in San Carlos and Emily Pike inspired a whole new movement not only [in] Arizona but across the entire United States,” said Gov. Lewis.

Gov. Lewis worked with Arizona Representative Teresa Martinez, who is the lead sponsor of House Bill 2281, which will develop an alert system for a missing Indigenous person.  

“We introduced a bill that will be the first alert system for MMIP in Arizona. We are going to get this done. We are going to get this bill signed into law,” Gov. Lewis said. “This legislation will be a tool to protect our relatives and our most vulnerable.”

Lt. Gov. Antone thanked the departments for putting on the MMIP event. 

“Keep walking, keep moving forward but never forget them,” she said. 

MMIP started with a traditional blessing by Anthony Gray, who is a Community member from District 4. 

“In our culture, in O’otham, the best way to honor someone and to remember someone is to carry on something that they did,” said Gray.

The Junior Marines from Blackwater Community School, District 1, also participated in the event. They proudly marched with their banner.

The newly crowned 2025-2026 Gila River Royalty court were also in attendance and introduced themselves to the crowd. They include: 

Gabrielle Garcia, Miss Gila River

Virginia Rossel, Miss Gila River 1st Attendant

Paige Thomas, Jr. Miss Gila River

Peyton Thomas, Jr. Miss Gila River 1st Attendant

GRIC members, other tribal members, and non-natives participated in this year’s MMIP event and all attendees received a maroon T-shirt with a unique graphic design in the front and text that read “Remember Them” on the back. 

The one-mile walkers and 5k runners each had their own course to follow. The top three finishers of the 5k are: 

First place – Ryland Schweitzer – age 11-17, member of GRIC

Second place – Nikoli Harrison – age 13, member of Navajo Nation

Third place – Charles Laws-Albano – age 17, member of GRIC

“This event brings awareness to MMIP. The 5k run/walk was added this year. The MMIP turnout was amazing. There are so many people here today,” said Ryan Brown, lead fitness instructor for TRW.