An Indigenous prayer song pierced the quiet night outside of Encounter AZ Church in Mesa. Hundreds of people bowed their heads, candles gripped tightly, as they remembered and honored 14-year-old Emily Pike.
The candlelight vigil held Thursday night, only blocks from where Emily was last seen, served not only as a remembrance of the joyful teenager but also as a unifying message: We will not be forgotten.
“We have to remember, the system, the system failed Emily and has failed so many of our relatives,” said Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community. “We can’t let one more Emily die in such a violent way.”…