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Gilbert Bruce Myers speaks at the community meeting he organized to bring people from all areas of the community together to brainstorm methods to push back the problems with drugs and alcohol the area faces.
People from all around the Hi-Line came to Stone Child College at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation Tuesday to discuss the drug problems on reservations.
Tuesday, Bruce Myers - who, since his last community meeting Feb. 4, has filed to run as the Republican candidate for House District 32, which includes Box Elder and Harlem - held the second of the meetings designed to come up with a solution to the drug problem on the reservations.
A few representatives from Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Havreites, a portion of the state champion boys basketball team from Box Elder and others all shared with each other their thoughts on the drug problem plaguing their communities.
"The purpose of this meeting is create unity in the community," Myers said. "We can't go it alone - just like it takes a team to win the state championships."
Stone Child College President Nate St. Pierre said the boys' success at the tournament was a celebration for everyone and brought something good to the united communities while they addressed "a very sensitive and challenging issue."
Box Elder basketball coach Jeremy MacDonald spoke of the area communities' reception of the basketball players and what he thought needed to be done to better the towns and reservations.
MacDonald said the rivalry between Rocky Boy and Box Elder has changed in the last basketball season.
"When we got to divisionals, one of our loudest cheering sections were from North Star," MacDonald said.
The Bears' push through the state championships brought many communities - besides strong support from their own - together to root for them.
"They're not just unifying one community, they're bringing a lot of communities together," MacDonald said.
MacDonald said the boys brought a lot of good energy to the area, and bringing good energy home is something that needs to be focused on. He said when he and the boys went through the four villages of Box Elder for a parade after they returned home from the championship in Butte, he felt depressed.
"(The people) look unhealthy," MacDonald said and added the villages had too much garbage lying around. "It's not good for those kids to grow up around. Those kids deserve better."
MacDonald said what he thinks should be done is everyone get together and agree to just pick up the trash on a particular day. Doing this would create a better environment for the children of Box Elder and may help lead them away from a life of drugs and alcohol.
Box Elder Superintendent Darin Hannum introduced the players one by one.
"They are truly good role models," Hannum said.
Most of the players were too bashful to speak, but Box Elder High School senior Will Ketchum summed up the entire meeting's purpose and solution.
"Step up," Ketchum said. "Make a difference to the community."
Reader Comments(2)
frankieH writes:
Everyone has a good feeling about the basketball team's success but what about in a couple of months when fervor settles down...what then? We shouldn't venerate sports success while ignoring academic achievement. The basketball championship should be something to be proud of but a more important aspect should be gleaned from the teams triumph: hard work pays off. Hard work on the court as well as the classroom leads to success.
03/12/2014, 1:09 pm
geebrucem writes:
'Gilbert Bruce Myers speaks at the community meeting he organized' from the pic caption. community..organized....? community organizer? don't know it that'll work with the republican electorate there cuzint brucie. you have to be a job creator, a creator lover or a gun guy. next time you organize the community, bring your gun, your bible, say something about abortion and oh yea, bring up your business and how tough you got it with fed regs.
03/12/2014, 12:58 pm