By Kalvin D. Perron
Staff Reporter
BAY MILLS - When 16-year-old Red Lake Senior High School student Jeff Weise walked into his high school on March 21, with a .22 caliber gun, he had already proven that he could kill. Prior to shooting down and killing five of his fellow students - Thurlene Stillday, 15, Chase Lussier, 15, Chanelle Rosebear, 15, Alicia Spike, 14, and Dwayne Lewis, 15, an unarmed school security guard - 28-year-old Derrick Brun, and a teacher - 62-year-old Neva Winnecoup Rogers, Weise killed his 58-year-old grandfather, Daryl Lussier, and his 32-year-old girlfriend, Michelle Signa, before turning the gun on himself. Native peoples everywhere watched in disbelief as news of the event unfolded right before their very eyes, bringing to the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation what Chairman Floyd Jourdain called "some of the darkest days for our people."
"Our community has been devastated by this event," he said. "We have never seen anything like this in the history of our tribe. Without a doubt, these are some of the darkest days for our people."
The five students killed by Weise, all fellow Red Lake Ojibwe, belonged to the Red Lake Boys & Girls Club. As a result, The Boys and Girls Club of America National Office challenged all of their native clubs to raise $500 each for the families of the victims. Bay Mills Boys & Girls Club Athletic Director and Keystone Club Adviser Brandon Kerfoot said the Bay Mills' Club has been working diligently to meet their goal. The Bay Mills Boys & Girls Club is currently selling feathers and displaying them on a wall in the Waishkey Center Gymnasium. The feathers, which include the purchaser's name, will be on sale for a dollar each until their goal is met. Kerfoot said it is important for Native communities to pull together and support one another in times of need.
"Our ultimate goal is to pull together our community and help out another Native community in the process," he said. "Hopefully we can raise awareness that tragedies can and do happen everywhere."
Kerfoot said that the community, as a whole, has been very supportive so far of their fund-raising efforts, especially Bay Mills Community Members, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan (ITC) employees and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Health Center staff. They have currently raised more than $300 for their cause.
To purchase a feather, or to donate money to the Boys & Girls Club for the families of the Red Lake tragedy, contact Brandon Kerfoot at 906-248-3204, ext. 3155, or Jeanne Bedell at ext. 3161. The Red Lake display can be seen at the Waishkey Center Gymnasium.
