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Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Native leaders, advocates gather for Emily's Law bill signing ceremony
Gov. Katie Hobbs participates in a bill signing ceremony for House Bill 2281 ion May 21, 2025. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror Surrounded by the flags of Arizona's 22 Tribal Nations, Indigenous leaders, advocates, and officials gathered with Gov. Katie Hobbs on May 21 to witness the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited law. ' We are here because the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people demands our full attention and collaboration,' Hobbs said. 'It demands action and it demands solutions.' Hobbs officially signed House Bill 2281, the Turquoise Alert System bill, into law on May 13, establishing a new system to issue state-wide alerts for missing Indigenous or endangered persons using the federally authorized Emergency Alert System. The alert applies to anyone younger than 65 who does not meet criteria for an Amber or Silver Alert. An Amber Alert is activated when a minor is abducted, and a Silver Alert is for when a person over the age of 65 or who has a cognitive or developmental disability goes missing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX If a person who is 18 or older goes missing in Arizona, a public alert of their disappearance is not available nor required. That's a hurdle that many Indigenous families are familiar with. The Department of Public Safety will oversee the new alert system. Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said that the new alert system closes jurisdictional and age-related gaps, which will help better serve Indigenous people who go missing or could be in danger. 'The language provides for collaboration between Tribal, state and local police, and as we know from the success of the Amber Alert system, the sooner law enforcement and the public are alerted to potential danger, the stronger the likelihood that endangered individuals can return home safely,' he said. Lewis collaborated with Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, who sponsored the bill, which passed through the legislature with unanimous support. ' I applaud all of the members of the legislature for their support for this bill and for taking this important step to addressing this longstanding, missing and murdered Indigenous crisis that continues throughout our state,' Lewis said. Arizona is the fifth state to implement a missing and endangered Indigenous persons alert system. The other states are California, Washington, Colorado and New Mexico. The bill is known as Emily's Law in honor of 14-year-old Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe who went missing and was later found dead earlier this year. ' Every year, tens of thousands of people go missing who fall outside the criteria for an amber or silver alert,' Hobbs said. 'Emily Pike was one of those people. Her life and her story mattered.' Hobb announced that the state is contributing $25,000 to the San Carlos Apache Tribes' reward for information on Emily Pike's murder. Hobbs said the contribution comes after meeting with San Carlos Apache tribal leaders and asking them how the state could help support the investigation. The total award is now $175,000. ' I urge anyone with information to contact the Gila County Sheriff's Office or the FBI,' Hobbs said, adding that Emily Pike would have turned 15 on May 15. 'She should have celebrated with her friends and family. Her family deserves this justice,' she added. 'And in her honor, I am proud to sign Emily's Law to establish the Turquoise Alert in Arizona.' Lewis said the law will not bring Emily Pike back, but he hopes that Emily's Law will prevent another Indigenous relative, child, or teen from suffering the same fate. ' With the implementation of the Turquoise Alert System along with the Amber Alert System and Silver Alert System, together, we can collectively all work together to protect our children, our elders, our most vulnerable, our tribal members, and act quickly to bring them to safety,' he added. Emily Pike's mother, sister, and uncle, Allred Pike Jr., attended the signing. Her uncle spoke on behalf of the family, expressing that he is conflicted about the name, Emily's Law, because his niece is no longer here. ' She was murdered. She was dismembered. She was tossed to the side of the road like she didn't matter,' he said. 'She was our daughter, our niece, our granddaughter, our cousin, our friend, and we're here to tell you that she mattered, her life mattered.' Allred Pike said that it was hard to be at the signing, but the family understands that Emily's Law is a step in the right direction to move forward. 'We just don't want this to happen to anyone else out there and to make sure that this law helps save lives for other missing and murdered Indigenous women,' he added. The new Turquoise Alert System will operate in parallel with the Missing and Endangered Person alert code, a national alert code adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in the fall of 2024. The national code is being established in Arizona and is expected to be launched by the summer. DPS will establish the Turquoise Alert System, a quick response system designed to issue and coordinate alerts following the report of a missing Indigenous or endangered person. The alert would only be issued at the request of a law enforcement agency investigating a missing person report. DPS would approve and issue the alert, but for it to be issued, the missing person must be an Indigenous or non-Indigenous endangered person under the age of 65. Due to state work on implementing the FCC's new alert code for the last year, Hobbs said that the Turquoise Alert System can be implemented immediately when the law goes into effect, 90 days after the close of the legislative session. 'The Turquoise Alert will be ready by the end of this summer, and I'm so glad that we are able to come together in a bipartisan way to pass common-sense legislation that will increase public safety,' Hobbs said. More than 10,600 Indigenous people were reported missing in the U.S. in 2023, roughly 3,300 of whom were 18 or older, according to the FBI. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System reported that more than 23,700 missing persons cases were in the database at the end of 2023, and 255 of those were for Indigenous people. In 2021, Arizona was ranked as having the third-largest number of unresolved cases of missing Indigenous people in the country, according to NamUs. Currently, there are 93 cases of missing Indigenous people in the NamUs database for Arizona. The Urban Indian Health Institute reported that Arizona also has the third-largest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the country. Their study reported 506 known cases in 71 urban areas across the country, 54 of which were in Arizona, including 31 in Tucson. There is still no comprehensive database that provides accurate numbers or data related to missing and murdered Indigenous peoples across the country. Without a centralized system among the thousands of federal, state, and tribal entities, the information available remains limited. When examining the numbers, it's important to note that Indigenous people make up only about 6% of Arizona's population. The state has three major metropolitan areas, all home to large Indigenous populations. Each of Arizona's 22 tribal nations has many tribal members living on their tribal lands. The recommendation for a missing endangered persons alert in Arizona was first made in 2022 by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ad hoc committee and has continued as a recommendation by the task force. Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Coal Mine Mesa, said getting Emily's Law signed is a milestone, but that advocacy work will continue. Hathathlie, a member of the Navajo Nation and advocate for MMIP, said there have been discussions regarding jurisdictional issues, training requests and educational needs to address MMIP, but the work must be done collaboratively. 'We need to stop working in silos,' she added. 'We need to come together and have these difficult conversations because every single day, we have another missing person.' Rep. Myron Tsosie, D-Chinle, who is also from the Navajo Nation, said that Emily's Law brings some relief for Indigenous peoples and their families who have fought to have their voices heard. 'Our voices are being heard,' he said. 'This brings some relief to our tribal communities, not only here in Arizona, but across the country.' Tsosie said the fight for MMIP must continue and the community must help raise awareness. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE UPDATE: This story's headline has been updated for clarity.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Carlos Apache Tribe requests tighter group home regulations after teen death
The resolution also encouraged the Arizona Legislature to pass House Bill 2281, a bill that aims to create an AMBER Alert-style system for missing Indigenous people.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It will save lives': Missing Indigenous people Amber Alert bill advances at Arizona Senate
A proposed bill would create an alert system for missing Indigenous people, something lawmakers believe will bring awareness to an ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The bill, created by Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and sponsored by state Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, aims to coordinate tribal, local and federal efforts to alert the public of a missing Indigenous or endangered person. The alert system would be modeled after the Amber and Silver alerts, which notify the public of a missing child, senior or person with disabilities. "These alerts are fantastic, but we leave off a segment of population who go missing, and the state of Arizona doesn't even know to look for them," Martinez said. House Bill 2281 was introduced in January 2025, but lawmakers and advocates have felt a renewed push to pass the legislation after the devastating discovery of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "I testified in early February that this legislation is critical, and it will save lives," Lewis said. "Little did I know at that time, Emily Pike, a 14-year-old member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, had been missing for weeks. She was found brutally murdered nine days after that testimony." 'The system failed Emily': Indigenous community rallies around slain San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike The bill requires the Arizona Department of Public Safety to establish an alert system for missing Indigenous or endangered people between 18 and 55, the range between Amber and Silver alerts. The alert would be used if the investigating agency has exhausted all resources; determined the person went missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances; and believed that the person is in danger, in the company of a potentially dangerous person or other factors indicating their life may be in danger. In a Senate Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, Lewis emphasized that the aim of the bill wasn't to favor Native Americans over others but noted that Indigenous people are victims of violent crimes at a higher rate than others. The bill has garnered much public support, including from the Office of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, DPS, Tohono O'odham Nation and the Gila River Indian Community. The bill passed the House unanimously on Feb. 24, three days before the Gila County Sheriff's Office announced that Emily's body had been found. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Wednesday and will be voted on by the full Senate. "I can't help but think, what if this law was in place early, would Emily be alive today?" Lewis said. The sponsors of the bill don't anticipate any monetary impact. According to Mesa police, Pike had run away from her group home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road in late January. Her body was found brutalized and in trash bags in Gila County, northeast of Globe, 17 days later, said Jim Lahti of the Gila County Sheriff's Office. What happened between when she was last seen and when her body was found is under investigation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, FBI and other local agencies. An Amber Alert was not issued for Pike because her case didn't meet the requirements of an alert, the Mesa Police Department said. The department said it had no indication she was abducted. "The reality is that this little girl was missing ... and they found her dismembered," Martinez said. The Gila County Sheriff's Office said there were no updates as of March 7. The investigators were "vigorously" working on the case, Lahti said. According to data analyzed by the Urban Indian Health Institute in 2018, Arizona ranked third in states with the highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In a survey of cities that provided data, Tucson ranked in the top 10. "Everybody is going to know (Emily's name), and we are not going to stop, we are going to be loud for everybody, not just Emily," said Alyssa Dosela, Emily's aunt, at a vigil for Pike on March 6. During the Senate committee meeting, legislators floated the idea of amending the bill to name the alert after Pike. The Amber Alert, while standing for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, also refers to the brutal kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Texas in 1996. Additional help: Federal agencies join Arizona investigation into disappearance of 14-year-old Emily Pike This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Indigenous Amber Alert bill for AZ advances after Emily Pike's death
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It will save lives': Missing Indigenous people Amber Alert bill advances at Arizona Senate
A proposed bill would create an alert system for missing Indigenous people, something lawmakers believe will bring awareness to an ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The bill, created by Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and sponsored by state Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, aims to coordinate tribal, local and federal efforts to alert the public of a missing Indigenous or endangered person. The alert system would be modeled after the Amber and Silver alerts, which notify the public of a missing child, senior or person with disabilities. "These alerts are fantastic, but we leave off a segment of population who go missing, and the state of Arizona doesn't even know to look for them," Martinez said. House Bill 2281 was introduced in January 2025, but lawmakers and advocates have felt a renewed push to pass the legislation after the devastating discovery of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "I testified in early February that this legislation is critical, and it will save lives," Lewis said. "Little did I know at that time, Emily Pike, a 14-year-old member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, had been missing for weeks. She was found brutally murdered nine days after that testimony." 'The system failed Emily': Indigenous community rallies around slain San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike The bill requires the Arizona Department of Public Safety to establish an alert system for missing Indigenous or endangered people between 18 and 55, the range between Amber and Silver alerts. The alert would be used if the investigating agency has exhausted all resources; determined the person went missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances; and believed that the person is in danger, in the company of a potentially dangerous person or other factors indicating their life may be in danger. In a Senate Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, Lewis emphasized that the aim of the bill wasn't to favor Native Americans over others but noted that Indigenous people are victims of violent crimes at a higher rate than others. The bill has garnered much public support, including from the Office of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, DPS, Tohono O'odham Nation and the Gila River Indian Community. The bill passed the House unanimously on Feb. 24, three days before the Gila County Sheriff's Office announced that Emily's body had been found. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Wednesday and will be voted on by the full Senate. "I can't help but think, what if this law was in place early, would Emily be alive today?" Lewis said. The sponsors of the bill don't anticipate any monetary impact. According to Mesa police, Pike had run away from her group home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road in late January. Her body was found brutalized and in trash bags in Gila County, northeast of Globe, 17 days later, said Jim Lahti of the Gila County Sheriff's Office. What happened between when she was last seen and when her body was found is under investigation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, FBI and other local agencies. An Amber Alert was not issued for Pike because her case didn't meet the requirements of an alert, the Mesa Police Department said. The department said it had no indication she was abducted. "The reality is that this little girl was missing ... and they found her dismembered," Martinez said. The Gila County Sheriff's Office said there were no updates as of March 7. The investigators were "vigorously" working on the case, Lahti said. According to data analyzed by the Urban Indian Health Institute in 2018, Arizona ranked third in states with the highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In a survey of cities that provided data, Tucson ranked in the top 10. "Everybody is going to know (Emily's name), and we are not going to stop, we are going to be loud for everybody, not just Emily," said Alyssa Dosela, Emily's aunt, at a vigil for Pike on March 6. During the Senate committee meeting, legislators floated the idea of amending the bill to name the alert after Pike. The Amber Alert, while standing for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, also refers to the brutal kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Texas in 1996. Additional help: Federal agencies join Arizona investigation into disappearance of 14-year-old Emily Pike This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Indigenous Amber Alert bill for AZ advances after Emily Pike's death
