2024 Suicide Awareness Ride scheduled for July 13

By Grace Terry
Native Sun News Today
Correspondent

EAGLE BUTTE –During National Mental Health Awareness in May, the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) reminds us that any caring individual can become an advocate for people who are affected by mental illness and an advocate for improved mental health education and resources.
Willie Eagle Chasing (Cheyenne River Lakota) of Pierre, SD, is a living example of this truth.
Eagle Chasing lost her beloved brother LD LaPlante Jr. to suicide on November 13, 2019. She became a passionate mental health advocate. As soon as the COVID epidemic abated, she organized the First Annual LD LaPlante Suicide Awareness Ride in 2022 to memorialize her brother and raise awareness of suicide.
The Third Annual LD LaPlante Suicide Awareness Ride will start at 10:00 am on July 13, 2024, at Iron Lightning, and end Friday, July 29, at the Lakota Cultural Center in Eagle Butte, according to Eagle Chasing. Along the way, food will be served and riders will hear speakers, prayers, and drum singers along with other activities. All events are open to the public and all are welcome to participate.
The First and Second Annual rides in 2022 and 2023 were scheduled for late August and ended at the annual Labor Day Powwow in Eagle Butte. This Third Annual ride was scheduled for mid-July of 2024 so that more school-aged students could participate. Eagle Chasing noted that the LD LaPlante Memorial High Point Ride (Bareback) will still be held during the 2024 CRST Fair and Rodeo.
Eagle Chasing says, “A lot of people don’t think (suicide) should be talked about or brought up. But there’s so many that suffer the loss of loved ones (by suicide) because they can’t, or aren’t allowed to, talk about it. We wanted to bring light to the issue: That it is there, it is a problem, and we need to do more to help each other, especially our youth.”
She continued, “Lots of childhood traumas that go without help, as well as adult issues, lead up to suicide. Family issues, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse, depression, bullying – all these things and more are all issues that need to be addressed more. And suicide itself – the stigma about it, the false judgment of it. My heart hurts every day for the loss of my brother and I just want to bring light to this issue to try to help others.
The 2024 Third Annual ride is the third of four rides planned in LD LaPlante’s memory, each coming from a different direction. Eagle Chasing said that those planning the rides are “hoping to reach more people and bring more awareness and share our stories and support.”
The U.S. suicide rate is up 33% since 1999. But according to an analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the increase is even greater for American Indian and Alaska Native women and men: 139% and 71%, respectively.
The Native youth suicide rate is 2.5 times higher than the overall national average, making these rates the highest across all ethnic and racial groups.
Cultural disconnection, alienation, and pressure to assimilate all contribute to higher rates of suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Eagle Chasing’s perception that it would help if people felt more comfortable talking about suicide is consistent with guidance from the National Indian Council on Aging, Inc. (NICOA). They say people at risk for suicide often don’t get the mental health services they need because they don’t know where to start.
Suicide prevention Information and services specifically for Native Americans are found at 988lifeline.org/help-yourself/native-americans/.
NICOA suggests, “Talk to your primary care doctor or another health professional about mental health problems. Ask them to connect you with the right mental health services.”
NICOA also suggests, “If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988. Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your confidential, toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referral.”
According to the NAMI, “If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org. You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.”
For more information or to make a donation to support the July LaPlante Memorial Suicide Awareness Ride, contact:
– Willie Eagle Chasing at (605) 646-5799 with questions, donations, ideas
– Frankie Johnson (CRST) at (605) 218-2575 messenger
– Hope Thompson at (605) 220-9623 text or messenger
– Elston Yellow Earing (SRST) at (605) 823-7258 messenger
– Grace Red Bear at (605) 314-6438 messenger