When the News Broke Before Class: Samuel Bird and the Power of Community Self Defence

I was setting up for an early afternoon session of my Speak Up Self Defence: Safety for Indigenous Communities of Canada program when the room went quiet. A man about my age got a phone call, paused for a moment, and said softly, “They found Samuel.” That sentence changed everything.

The man was Samuel Bird’s uncle. The class hadn’t even started yet, and suddenly we weren’t just talking about self defence anymore, we were living the reason it matters. You could feel it instantly. The energy in the room shifted. People whispered prayers, eyes lowered, and the air filled with that heavy mix of grief and disbelief that comes when tragedy lands close to home. Two people in the class were related to Samuel, one being his uncle, who had just received the news.

I paused the presentation and we took a moment of silence together. Then, for the first time ever, I spoke about a tragedy unfolding in real time. It wasn’t planned, but it felt necessary. What happened that day made every word I was about to say more urgent. It proved that self defence is not abstract, and it is not something you only think about for emergencies. It is about life, community, and survival, both physical and emotional.

Samuel Bird’s disappearance and death shook Edmonton and Indigenous communities across Canada. But what stands out most to me isn’t just the loss, it’s the response. The reason this story wasn’t buried or forgotten is because of community. His family, friends, and supporters refused to let his name disappear. They organized, searched, and used social media to keep people talking. They refused to be silent, and that persistence forced awareness and accountability.

That is what real community safety looks like. When I talk about the third pillar of self defence, community this is what I mean. Community is protection. It is the people who notice when something feels wrong. It is the people who ask questions and refuse to look away. It is what turns pain into action and silence into justice. The community surrounding Samuel turned heartbreak into movement, and that is what real-world self defence looks like.

Every time I teach, I come back to the same foundation: Value, Boundaries, and Community. These three pillars are not ideas, they are practical tools for violence prevention. Value means knowing you are worth defending. You have a right to safety, a right to take up space, and a right to protect yourself. Without that foundation, no physical technique will matter because you will not believe you deserve to use it. Boundaries are about protecting your physical and emotional space before things escalate. They are how you stop violence before it starts. Learning to say no, to leave situations, or to trust your instincts are real self defence skills. And Community means we do not do this alone. It means having people who support you, who check in, who advocate, and who raise awareness when things go wrong.

During the break that day, Samuel’s uncle showed me messages and posts from people across the country sharing their support. It was heartbreaking but also inspiring. People valued Samuel’s life, and by demanding answers, and relying on each other to make sure his story mattered. T

Violence thrives in silence. I say that in every course because it is true. When we stop talking about violence, when we avoid the topic, when we look the other way, predators win. Speaking up is not easy, especially for Indigenous communities who face systemic barriers and historical trauma. Fear, mistrust, and pain make it difficult to raise your voice, but when people unite, silence loses its power. The Bird family and their community showed what happens when people speak together. That is courage. That is strength.

Being in that room that day was pure coincidence, but it is something I will never forget. I am honoured to have heard about Samuel directly from his uncle and to have witnessed a community standing together in grief and resilience. That class became more than a workshop. It became a reminder of why self defence education matters more than ever.

We cannot bring Samuel back, but we can honour him by learning from what happened and by strengthening our communities so that violence has less room to grow. Self defence is not just about surviving a violent encounter. It is about preventing violence through awareness, confidence, and connection. It is about understanding your value, defending your boundaries, and relying on your community when it counts.

If this story hits home for you, take action. Learn real self defence. Take a class, talk to your friends, teach your kids. Learn what self protection truly means. It is not just fighting, it is understanding risk, setting limits, and using your voice. Every time we learn, every time we speak up, we make it harder for violence to hide.

My heart goes out to the Bird family and everyone who loved Samuel. I will keep doing what I can to help through education, awareness, and connection. Self defence keeps us safe, but more importantly, it keeps us united. When we refuse to stay silent, we make it harder for violence to win.

Randy