Current:Home > ScamsKlee Benally, Navajo advocate for Indigenous people and environmental causes, dies in Phoenix-VaTradeCoin
Klee Benally, Navajo advocate for Indigenous people and environmental causes, dies in Phoenix
lotradecoin versus kraken comparison View Date:2024-12-25 23:15:41
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! (313)
Related
- 'Secret Level' creators talk new video game Amazon series, that Pac
- More than 2,300 pounds of meth is found hidden in celery at Georgia farmers market
- Presented with rise in border crossings, Harris chose a long-term approach to the problem
- The 21 Best Amazon Off-to-College Deals Starting at $5.77: Save on JBL, Apple, Bose & More
- Albertsons gives up on Kroger merger and sues the grocery chain for failing to secure deal
- Affordable 2025 Kia K4 Sedan Coming Soon; Hatch to Follow
- 4 injured in shooting at Virginia State University, and police have multiple suspects
- Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami live updates: Messi still missing for Leagues Cup game today
- The Sundance Film Festival unveils its lineup including Jennifer Lopez, Questlove and more
- UCLA can’t allow protesters to block Jewish students from campus, judge rules
Ranking
- North Carolina announces 5
- A proposed amendment lacks 1 word that could drive voter turnout: ‘abortion’
- Taco Bell is giving away 100 Baja Blast Stanley cups Tuesday: Here's how to get one
- Rapper Quando Rondo pleads guilty to a drug charge in federal court
- Stop & Shop is using grocery store kiosks to make digital
- Replacing a championship coach is hard. But Sherrone Moore has to clean up Jim Harbaugh's mess, too.
- Katy Perry's new music video investigated by Balearic Islands' environmental ministry
- Vikings QB McCarthy needs surgery on meniscus tear in right knee, a big setback in rookie’s progress
Recommendation
-
Video shows drone spotted in New Jersey sky as FBI says it is investigating
-
Trial begins in case of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor during dispute
-
Popular shoemaker Hey Dude to pay $1.9 million to thousands of customers in FTC settlement
-
Here's why all your streaming services cost a small fortune now
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Follow Your Dreams
-
Porsha Williams' cousin and co-star Yolanda Favors dies at 34: 'Love you always'
-
December execution date set for man convicted of killing a young Missouri girl
-
Texas Likely Undercounting Heat-Related Deaths