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The Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix, Ariz. has been grappling with guns and gang violence, largely involving juveniles.

The tribe quietly fired its police chief earlier this month, days after a town hall meeting to address the issues.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the tribe has refused to explain why.

The reservation covers about 600 square miles, with many of the tribe’s 20,000 members living on it.

Complaints have included gang violence and even cartel activity.

Gila River Police Chief Jesse Crabtree fielded most of the questions during a recent town hall meeting that ran for six hours.

“We can’t police our way out of everything. We need partners from the community, from other departments. … Definitely community policing is where we’re headed.”

Community members say that just two days later, on July 14, Crabtree was fired.

Despite his name being scrubbed from the department’s website, the unannounced departure has not been confirmed by the Valley-based tribe.

But within a week, they had turned to a familiar name, former police chief Tim Chavez, who initially considered coming out of retirement but later declined due to departmental infighting.

It’s still unknown who – if anyone – has replaced Crabtree as police chief, with the tribe refusing to answer any questions.

More than 700 participants, including leaders from the circumpolar North, are gathering this week at Arctic Encounter, an annual symposium in Anchorage, Alaska.

That included a panel of policy experts from the U.S. and Canada, who spent Wednesday morning focused on Arctic security.

The conversation covered growing geopolitical tensions and competition, as well as a need for partnerships, and they spoke about how national, personal, and environmental security are interconnected, especially for people who live in the Arctic.

Mike Sfraga is a former U.S. ambassador to the Arctic who recently stepped into an interim chancellor role at University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“We cannot forget that for us that live in the north and peoples who live in small communities and large communities, we’re talking about water security, food security, community security, health security. So it’s all nested in there. … But it’s highlighted by, obviously, our homeland and national security.”

Sfraga says that one of the big challenges for addressing Arctic security issues is recent funding cuts to research in the U.S. He says that academics and policy makers should better communicate how research is profitable in the long run and crucial for homeland security.

Sfraga and other speakers highlighted that a secure north also means functional infrastructure, from deep sea ports and warning systems to satellite communications.

And speakers agreed that policy decisions about the Arctic should go hand in hand with listening to local communities.

Sara Cohen is a deputy head of Mission at the Canadian embassy in the U.S., where she focuses on Foreign Policy and National Security.

She says that for Canada, Arctic and defense policy starts with partnerships with Indigenous people in the North.

“You can’t have safe people without having a safe environment. You can’t have safe people without them having a safe and secure access to a future that is characterized by dignity in Canada. That’s very much also part of our reconciliation with indigenous peoples as we look to continue that journey, which is very much about truth and also reconciliation.”

Arctic Encounter is running through Friday. It will feature discussions about policy, infrastructure and Indigenous sovereignty.

And on this day in 1763, Oddawa Chief Pontiac led a coalition of warriors against attacking British forces at Fort Detroit in the Great Lakes region.

Initially started by 260 British soldiers, the Native forces were so successful in repelling their foes, which included killing British Captain James Dalyell, that nearby Parent’s Creek was renamed Bloody Run.

Today, the site is now Elmwood Cemetery in East Detroit.

 

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