Current:Home > InvestKlee Benally, Navajo advocate for Indigenous people and environmental causes, dies in Phoenix-LoTradeCoin
Klee Benally, Navajo advocate for Indigenous people and environmental causes, dies in Phoenix
View Date:2024-12-25 01:38:10
PHOENIX (AP) — Klee Benally, a Navajo man who advocated on behalf of Indigenous people and environmental causes, has died, his sister said. He was 48 years old.
Benally died Saturday at a Phoenix hospital, Jeneda Benally said. His cause of death was not disclosed.
Klee Benally was among the most vocal opponents of snowmaking at Arizona Snowbowl ski resort in Flagstaff. At least 13 tribes consider the mountain on public land to be sacred.
He protested police violence and racial profiling and was among activists who gathered outside metro Phoenix’s NFL stadium in 2014 to denounce the offensive team name previously used by the franchise from Washington, D.C.
Benally advocated for the cleanup of abandoned mines, where uranium ore was extracted from the Navajo Nation over decades to support U.S. nuclear activities during the Cold War.
He also spoke out against an ordinance that, in a bid to address the problem of homelessness, had banned camping on public property in Flagstaff.
“There is no compassionate way to enforce the anti-camping ordinance,” Benally said in 2018 when officials declined to alter the 2005 ordinance. “Life is already hard enough for our unsheltered relatives on the streets.”
Benally was also a guitarist, and played with his sister and brother in the Native American punk rock band Blackfire.
veryGood! (25592)
Related
- Utah AD Mark Harlan rips officials following loss to BYU, claims game was 'stolen from us'
- Family of Ajike Owens, Florida mom shot through neighbor's front door, speaks out
- Unfounded fears about rainbow fentanyl become the latest Halloween boogeyman
- Bindi Irwin Shares Health Update After Painful, Decade-Long Endometriosis Journey
- The View's Sara Haines Walks Off After Whoopi Goldberg's NSFW Confession
- Two-thirds of Americans now have a dim view of tipping, survey shows
- Today’s Climate: July 27, 2010
- Why did he suspect a COVID surge was coming? He followed the digital breadcrumbs
- J.Crew Outlet Quietly Drops Their Black Friday Deals - Save Up to 70% off Everything, Styles Start at $12
- GM to Be First in U.S. to Air Condition Autos with Climate Friendly Coolant
Ranking
- Trump hammered Democrats on transgender issues. Now the party is at odds on a response
- Abortion is on the California ballot. But does that mean at any point in pregnancy?
- Jessica Simpson Shares Dad Joe’s Bone Cancer Diagnosis
- What it's like being an abortion doula in a state with restrictive laws
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- Anti-Eminent Domain but Pro-Pipelines: A Republican Conundrum
- 18 Slitty Dresses Under $60 That Are Worth Shaving Your Legs For
- New York, Philadelphia and Washington teams postpone games because of smoke coming from Canadian wildfires
Recommendation
-
Wicked Director Jon M. Chu Reveals Name of Baby Daughter After Missing Film's LA Premiere for Her Birth
-
Bryan Miller, Phoenix man dubbed The Zombie Hunter, sentenced to death for 1990s murders of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas
-
Schools are closed and games are postponed. Here's what's affected by the wildfire smoke – and when they may resume
-
EPA Again Postpones Enbridge Fine for 2010 Kalamazoo River Spill
-
Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
-
Suburbs delivered recent wins for Georgia Democrats. This year, they're up for grabs
-
Biden vetoes bill to cancel student debt relief
-
The Tigray Medical System Collapse