Community vigil remembers Kevin Grey Bull for fancy dancing, good nature and ‘not just another dead Indian’

Bismarck-Mandan area lacks support for local Indigenous homeless population

Community members held “Justice for Kevin” signs and prayed as they walked along the Fort Lincoln Trolley bridge in memory of Standing Rock citizen Kevin Grey Bull upon the one-year anniversary of his death.

Friends and family of Grey Bull formed a circle and smudged to start the vigil on Nov. 5. Many shared their memories. Elder Cedric Goodhouse Sr. spoke highly of Grey Bull, recalling his love for fancy dance when he was younger. In the 1960s, Grey Bull and his brother tied for first place at a powwow. Goodhouse spoke about the importance of staying together and not being alone in the world. 

As the group prayed, he and his wife Evelyn sang. Throughout the vigil, several people spoke of how Grey Bull led a life of kindness.

Goodhouse’s poignant comments hit home in light of Grey Bull’s last years unhoused, as well as the still unresolved circumstances of his death. Grey Bull’s body was found by the Heart River near Mandan’s east end on Sept. 23, 2022. Results of an autopsy show the 65-year-old homicide victim died of stabbing and cutting injuries caused by a sharp object. The Mandan Police Department hasn’t named any suspects for the crime, leaving the case unsolved.

Alva Gabe, one of the event organizers, reached out to the Sacred Pipe Resource Center’s Heart of Our Nation Task Force to arrange the walk and vigil. The Heart of Our Nation has been meeting since February 2023. Its name derives from a Cheyenne proverb: “A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it is finished, no matter how brave its warriors or how strong their weapons.”

Sacred Pipe formed the task force after members of the community raised concerns about the need for support to help vulnerable and homeless Native women on the streets.

Grey Bull traveled across the Bismarck-Mandan area frequently. He was known to spend time in downtown Mandan and at the Fort Lincoln Trolley bridge by third street southeast. Near where the Marathon Gas Station is located, many neighbors remember him as a kind gentleman who was always friendly and helping others. Gabe, who seeks answers for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, wants people to remember Grey Bull for his life, rather than how he died.

“If enough people come to show that somebody cares, that we care what happens to our relatives here –– then he’s not just another dead Indian,” Gabe said.

While American Indians comprise 5.6% of the North Dakota population, 23% of Natives are homeless, according to a 2020 annual report by the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency. In a 2018 report by the City of Bismarck, Burleigh County has a 31% American Indian homeless population. They also noted how people going through chronic homelessness are particularly vulnerable because they live in unsheltered locations and often have one or more disabilities.

Though Grey Bull was known for his good nature, he dealt with substance abuse issues throughout the years. Many homeless individuals lack the support they need to get back on their feet. The City of Bismarck identified gaps such as a lack of a low-barrier shelter or shelter for those under the influence of drugs and or alcohol, no community detox facility, no mobile crisis unit for mental health issues and a lack of 24/7 access to sheltering and supportive services.

“This man has a lot of relatives, he has a lot of family and a lot of friends,” said Gabe. “Not just in the Native community, but in the Mandan urban community as well. He made a name for himself as a good person, yet he wasn’t well enough to be helped.”

The Bis-Man area also lacked family housing to keep family members sheltered together. In homeless shelters, individuals are usually split up into different gender facilities. “Nobody keeps a family together if they’re homeless,” said Gabe. “They want to separate them.”

The Hearts of Our Nation Task Force is still looking for tips to provide to law enforcement in an effort to solve the case of Grey Bull’s violent death. During the event, Cheryl Kary, the executive director of Sacred Pipe Resource Center, said an anonymous tip had come in and would be handled with care before being given to the authorities.

Unhoused citizens are still people, said Gabe. “They deserve justice, they deserve to be found. That’s why we do what we do.”

Though the Heart of Our Nation Task Force knew cold, rainy weather would define the day, the group still united to remember Grey Bull and continue working together to create awareness of vulnerable individuals in the community who deserve justice.

The organizers encourage people to donate gas cards, meal cards, warm clothes and supplies to Sacred Pipe’s Heart of Our Nation Task Force.

Volunteers planned to meet Nov. 9 at the Sacred Pipe building to prepare winter backpacks for the homeless Indigenous population in the community. They’ll be placing hand warmers, hats, gloves and thick socks into the backpacks. If anything, Gabe wants to motivate people to take a moment to spend time and have a conversation with a homeless individual.

“Just sit and visit with them,” Gabe said. “It doesn’t cost money to have a good heart.”

References:

https://www.bismarcknd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/4598?fileID=10632

https://www.ndhfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/NDIACH2020AnnualReport.pdf

https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/mandan-homicide-victim-died-from-stabbing-autopsy-finds

Dateline:

MANDAN, N.D.