March planned to support Hounshell

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — A "Support Sheriff Hounshell" peaceful demonstration march, spearheaded by the Navajo Nation's "living legend," Grandma Marjorie Thomas of Chinle, will be Monday just outside St. Johns, Ariz.

Ed Becenti of Chinle, one of the organizers of the march, said, "It is more or less to show the people around St. Johns that we do love and support Sheriff Brian Hounshell. He's done so much not just on the Navajo Reservation. He's got a big area to cover, all the way up to Red Mesa.

"He's done a lot, like in that movie 'Walking Tall'." Becenti said.

A planning meeting will be 7 p.m. Sunday at the Holiday Inn in Chinle. Those wishing to join in the demonstration can catch the bus at 6 a.m. Monday at Basha's stores in Chinle and Window Rock.

Walkers will be transported to a starting point about 4-1/2 miles outside St. Johns and will return by bus afterward, arriving by 5 p.m. Each bus has a 49-person carrying capacity. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"They'll have speeches, guidelines and so forth. We've already talked with the Chief of Police in St. Johns and he already told us the dos and don'ts, what's against city ordinance. We're coming in as peaceful as we can get. We're not trying to get people upset," Becenti said.

"This is from Grandma's heart. We talked with her and she said, 'Let's do it, because he shared a lot of his heart with us. Let's be there for him'."

Helen Dineyazhe of Chinle, a third-grade teacher at Canyon de Chelly, said, "We're walking because we support Sheriff Brian Hounshell. He's our sheriff of Apache County and this walk is basically just to say that our constitutional rights, we believe, have been violated.

"It's not a North vs. South issue. It's basically we just believe our constitutional rights were violated and that we need to make a stand and let them know that we're registered voters of Apache County. Something like this happens, who knows what other laws could be broken in the future that we're not aware of," Dineyazhe said.

"We're basically just letting the people know that we support him. Since he's been in office, we notice a big presence of the sheriff's department here on the reservation," she said. "He's there for the kids.

Hounshell "stands for the youth," she said. "He's come into my classroom. The sheriff's department has come into my classroom and given my students information about certain things that they shouldn't do. So they do share educational issues," she said.

"Our main supporter, Grandma Marjorie Thomas, has walked to Window Rock from Chinle for many years just trying to get a youth center for youth who reside in Chinle and surrounding areas. We consider her a living legend," Dineyazhe said.

Walkers are being asked to provide their own lunch and should bring along a hat, extra water, sunscreen, and possibly even an umbrella

"I was talking with the chief of police in St. Johns. He said that later in the morning it's been real hot," she said. "It's been in the 100's lately," she said.

Dineyazhe is asking walkers to dress comfortably for the heat. "We're hoping to have enough water but we're not sure. We are taking two buses, so hopefully we fill it up with about 100 people," she said.

Information: (928) 871-5027 or (928) 814-0750