In the wake of the fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Easter Leafa, the Samoan community seeks understanding and collaboration with the Municipality of Anchorage through a signed resolution.
Updated: 19 minutes agoAntonja Pereira leads a kava ceremony in a conference room in City Hall. Alaska Samoan Tribal conducted a kava ceremony with Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, Police Chief Sean Case and other city officials in City Hall on September 24, 2024. The group’s leaders signed a"resolution of understanding" with LaFrance.
Alaska Samoan Tribal, a group that organized in recent years under its CEO, the Rev. Sam Unutoa, initiated Tuesday’s ceremony to lay the groundwork for better communication between Samoans and city leaders. Following the ceremony, LaFrance signed an official Municipality of Anchorage resolution, a document her office had worked with Unutoa to draft for weeks prior. The resolution calls for “acknowledging the importance of mutual understanding,” ensuring that “policies reflect a commitment to the health, safety and care of each person,” and “engaging in open, honest, and continuous dialogue.”
City officials, members of Alaska Samoan Tribal and others join hands for a prayer at the conclusion of the kava ceremony. Samoans in attendance said that while there are still open wounds surrounding Leafa’s death, Tuesday’s ceremony was a step toward healing.
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