‘Mixed bag of feelings:’ Route 91 survivors treated with reverence

But a pair of almost completely unnoticed gatherings have been held to mark the seventh anniversary of the Oct. 1 mass shootings at the Route 91 Harvest festival. Members of parcel owner Three Affiliated Tribes invited families of the 60 concert-goers who died in the tragedy to take part in American Indian blanket ceremonies.

The ritual is to display respect for those who have contributed significantly to a community. The custom-designed blankets are gifted at formal events, often to commemorate births and deaths.

The new owners invited the families to otherwise closed, private events on the evening of Sept. 30 and during the day Oct. 1. Blankets were also given to the Resiliency & Justice Center Route 91 support organization to present to family members who could not make it.

The owners’ top official hosted both events. Mark Fox, chairman of MHA Nation and representing Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, presided over the ceremonies.

“This is just our small part in recognizing and honoring the memory of the loved ones who were lost in the tragedy here seven years ago,” Fox said to the family members gathered on the site during a wind-swept event Oct. 1. A video of his speech was captured that day.

Fox told the group that Three Affiliated Tribes joined former parcel owners MGM Resorts International in allotting two acres for the Forever One Memorial tribute to victims. The memorial is being underwritten by the Vegas Strong Fund, which will receive some revenue from “Christmas On The Strip” profits.

“We believe this is very important. It is not something we’re just going to skate over,” Fox said. “It deserves to be in a spot and built with prominence, with great respect and reverence. That’s our commitment.”

Regional & Justice Center Director Tennille Pereira heads the agency that supports the Route 91 community. She says she welcomes the tribe’s outreach effort.

“I have a mixed bag of feelings,” says Pereira, who says she has “lived and breathed this tragedy since Oct. 2, 2017.”

“It is hard to see the property being used for other things, but at the same time, the families recognize the property does eventually need to be used for something.” Pereira says. “This is a piece of privately owned property. The MHA nation has reached out to the survivor community and will always honor what has happened there, and that is appreciated.”

Vegas Strong Fund Board of Directors Chair Jan Jones Blackhurst said her organization is not directly involved in the tribe’s development plans. But the former mayor of Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment exec and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board member holds a civic point of view.

“I think they’ve been very respectful of the site, that for many has very dark memories,” Jones Blackhurst says. “Native Americans feel very strongly about the afterlife and respect for origins and heritage. I think recognizing the lives that were lost that night, directing a portion of the funds toward the memorial, and and their comment that they’re looking to bring energy and happiness back is good.”

Jill Winter was on the site on 1 October, in a VIP venue that backed up to the Strip, directly across the Strip from Mandalay Bay. She held her spot during the entire shooting, believing the structure would protect her. She learned later, “With the caliber of bullets, it wouldn’t have mattered where I was.”

Winter has since counseled members of the community known as “Routers.”

“We use it instead of saying survivors, which is a word that a lot of us didn’t really like,” Winter says. “Most of us, definitely, didn’t like the word victim.”

A huge country music fan, Winter lived in San Diego at the time of the shooting, residing in Nashville today. She joined Facebook groups created by “Routers,” began informally conferring with lonely and depressed people seeking solace online. She was soon asked to join the Resiliency Center and head up its peer-support program.

Winter is another with mixed feelings about the development of Route 91.

“Indian tribes, in general, respect the deceased, so I think it’s going to be very tastefully done,” Winter says. “I love the fact that they are giving back to the memorial foundation. But the bottom line is the site is going to be turned into a casino. We can’t expect that site to sit empty, because it’s a valuable piece of property. And you know, money talks.”

Cool Hang Alert

A nine-piece band with a side of Salsa, Latin Breeze returns to M Resort’s Amp’d entertainment hovel at 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday. LB sets the stage on fire (figuratively) with a series of dance numbers including Merengue, Cumbias, Mambos and Boleros. Hustle over (hah), and hit MResort.com for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.