Latest news with #MMIR
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Oneida Nation holds fifth Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Walk raising awareness and honoring loved ones
ONEIDA, Wis. (WFRV) – Community members gathered Saturday morning for the Oneida Nation's fifth annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Walk, taking steps both literal and symbolic to honor those lost and to raise awareness about the silent crisis affecting Native communities. Participants dressed in red and carried signs bearing names and dates of missing loved ones. The walk began at the Oneida Recreation Center and ended at the Turtle School, where attendees were invited to share a meal, listen to presentations and reflect with music and prayer. Convention celebrates paranormal in Appleton 'This is our fifth annual MMIW walk. We have everyone come together — it's a healing event because it's a silent crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,' said Oneida Nation Council Member Jennifer Webster. Red has become a symbol of the movement, representing both the voices of the missing and the resilience of the families left behind. Many attendees wore red handprints across their faces, a visual symbol that has become a hallmark of MMIR advocacy across Indian Country. Webster said around 200 people participated in this year's walk. She noted that the walk is not just about remembrance, but also about ongoing efforts to push for justice and prevention. 'It started in 2017 with Savannah,' Webster said, referencing the case of Savannah Greywind, a 22-year-old pregnant Indigenous woman who was murdered in North Dakota. 'From that event grew Savannah's Act.' Savannah's Act, signed into law in 2020, was designed to improve coordination and data collection among federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies in cases involving missing or murdered Native people. Tsyoshaaht Delgado, the Bear Clan manager for the Oneida Cultural Heritage Department, said walks like this are happening across the country. 'Native American people are the number one group that have gone missing and been murdered, and they never get investigated,' Delgado said. 'So this is to bring awareness to the community and the surrounding area.' Many who attended the walk have been directly impacted by the crisis or know someone who has. For some, that pain remains unresolved. 'Some of their relatives are missing and they've never been found,' Delgado said. 'That always impacts our community.' Webster added that Native women face disproportionately high rates of violence. Appleton nonprofit hosts free wheelchair wash, safety check 'Native women are three times more likely to be involved in trafficking, to be involved in domestic violence,' she said. 'So the whole thing today is for healing.' Organizers hope to grow the event each year and keep the conversation alive, not just for those who are missing, but for those still searching for answers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Portland's MMIR Day of Awareness and Action
Nika Bartoo-SmithUnderscore Native News + ICT Content warning: domestic violence, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives On May 5, crowds gathered throughout the day at the Oregon Convention Center Plaza in Portland to bring attention to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives and create space for remembering those who have been impacted. Red shirts, ribbon skirts and red handprints filled the plaza square as people began to make signs with phrases such as 'We are their voices,' 'Honor their spirit,' and 'Justice for MMIR.' Early in the day, a bald eagle flew overhead, a rare sighting in the middle of the city. As people paused to point it out, a hawk joined it. To many, this seemed like an offering of a blessing from the two birds. Across the country, May 5 is a National Day of Awareness and Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and People (also referred to as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives or MMIR for short). American Indian and Alaska Native women are murdered at a rate of 10 times higher than the national average, and more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women experience violence in their lifetime, according to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center. Two Spirit and trans Indigenous relatives also face disproportionate rates of violence, which is part of the push to change the name to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives to acknowledge the reality that Indigenous people of all genders are impacted by the MMIR crisis, according to Polimana Joshevama, Hopi, research and evaluation mode lead for Future Generations Collaborative. MMIR Day of Awareness and Action is a day to raise awareness, demand justice, take action and create space for healing. 'I think that the MMIR Day of Awareness and Action that we're having today has two parts to it. I think there's the external, bringing awareness,' Joshevama said, mentioning the importance of wearing red and holding signs out in public. '[And secondly] just a space to be able to come together and hold space for those memories and the thoughts and the prayers that we have for all those people,' she added. Creating a space for both education and healing during a particularly intense day, organizers of the MMIR Day of Awareness and Action grounded the occasion with opportunities for ceremony. After a free lunch provided by Sisters Fry Bread, Shalaya Williams, Cayuse from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, asked those gathered to come together in a circle. Williams led more than 50 people in a breathing exercise, acknowledging that MMIR Day of Awareness brings up trauma for many people. Williams talked about how their grandmother taught them how to release that stored, intergenerational trauma and called on those in need of healing to step forward. 'Whoever has a heavy heart today, who needs extra prayer, come join me in the middle,' Williams said. People stepped forward to form a smaller circle in the center around an abalone shell filled with burning sage. The smaller group held hands while Williams offered a song and prayer, encouraging those in the larger circle to do the same. Later in the day, community members marched to the Willamette River to take part in another ceremony, joined from the water by the 7 Waters Canoe Family at the Duckworth Memorial Dock. Around 50 people walked the three quarters of a mile to the dock, including women pushing strollers and elders pushing walkers. People raised their signs high in the air with phrases such as 'No more stolen sisters,' 'Gone missing but still in our hearts,' and 'Search the landfills.' Cars honked their horns in support all along the way. Angela Polk, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and a Yakama Nation descendent, spent the walk to the river reflecting on her sister, Tina Spino, who went missing two years ago. 'My daughter has never been the same since,' Polk said. Two weeks after Tina went missing, she was found dismembered, Polk said. She has lost other loved ones as well to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, including her nephew Casey Lillie. 'The importance for me is to release the pain we carry,' Polk said, reflecting on MMIR Day of Awareness and Action. 'I pray for the children and I pray for my family.' Once at the river, those standing at the dock welcomed the 7 Waters Canoe Family with war whoops. 'We're happy to be here, happy to pull our canoe in prayer,' said skipper Lukas Angus, Niimiipuu and Cayuse on his father's side and Tlingit and Haida on his mother's side. 'When we paddle, we're praying. We're offering our strength. We hope that you can pray with us.' Event organizers handed out flowers to those gathered on the docks, to take part in a 'letting go' ceremony. One by one, community members were invited to step forward and add their flower to a growing pile on a wool blanket at the front of the canoe, sending with it a prayer of something that they need to let go of. After everyone stepped forward, the 7 Waters Canoe Family pulled back out into the center of the river. The two paddlers in front gently threw the flowers into the river, one by one. Silence fell over the dock, as people watched the canoe family release their prayers into the river through the flowers. Out of the silence, a man's voice rose, sharing a song. When it comes to the actual numbers of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives across the country, and specifically in Portland, it is hard to know the true reach of the crisis, according to Joshevama. 'We know there are so many gaps in data,' she said. 'There is no official data for the City of Portland.' One of the reasons there is such a gap in data has to do with racial classification, as Indigenous people are often misclassified, according to Joshevama. Acknowledging the gaps in data, Joshevama is working with Future Generations Collaborative on creating a database to track MMIR cases in the Portland Metro area. The hope is to engage with the community and officially launch the database in 2027. In Oregon, secrecy and data issues seem to be impeding progress on MMIR cases, as Underscore Native News reported in August 2024. Family members and grassroots groups are leading the way when it comes to advocating for and searching for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, such as the MMIW Search and Hope Alliance based in Oregon. The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center created a guide as part of its MMIR toolkit for what to do in the first 72 hours after a loved one goes missing. Some state legislators in Oregon are calling for further action to improve the state response to the MMIR crisis. This legislative session, state Reps. Tawna Sanchez, Shoshone-Bannock, Ute and Carrizo, and Annessa Hartman, Haudenosaunee, championed House Bill 3198. If passed, the bill would allocate staff within the Oregon Health Authority to lead prevention efforts, provide victim services and collect statewide data on MMIR cases. 'For years, we've heard from families and community members who've done this work alone because state systems weren't built to support them,' Sanchez said in a press release about the bill. 'This bill is a response to that call. It invests in the prevention, coordination, and healing our communities have asked for.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Silent epidemic': Oneida Nation spreads awareness for missing, murdered Indigenous people
ONEIDA, Wis. (WFRV) – On Red Dress Day, scores of people from all backgrounds are wearing their chosen shade of scarlet to support missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) and relatives (MMIR). 'The business committee of the tribe has passed a resolution honoring May 5 as National Wear Red Day to bring awareness to the issue,' Oneida Tribe Council Member Jennifer Webster said, who is also on the business committee. 'Across the state of Wisconsin, different tribes are doing different walks.' Man wanted in Wisconsin arrested in Chicago for fatal New Year's Eve crash The Oneida Nation is making its commemoration a weeklong event. Red pieces of clothing already line the trees, a symbol of victims and survivors that have suffered at the hands of criminals and abusers. 'It's a silent epidemic happening across Indian Country, and if they see something happening in the community, say something,' Webster said. Registration for the Oneida Nation's Missing and Murdered Relatives Walk on Saturday is at 10 a.m., with the walk getting underway at 11 a.m. Presentations, music and food are all part of the event, which has one goal. 'To be aware. If you see something, say something,' Webster said. 'Because Oneida is on the highway between Chicago, Green Bay, over to Minneapolis, up to Duluth, that's kind of a highway for trafficking. So we need to bring our young men and women, bring their awareness to the forefront.' While there have not been missing or murdered members from Oneida Nation ground in recent years, Webster says it is a widespread concern that plagues many tribes from coast to coast. 'Native women are ten times more likely to be murdered across the nation,' Webster said. 'It's an issue. And it's an issue that we need to share with our children and our grandchildren, our young women and our young boys, to be aware.' Wisconsin woman arrested after five unsecured children, marijuana found during traffic stop Webster believes that the epidemic can be solved, or at least stymied, with cross-generation discussions about warning signs and the importance of having others' backs. 'Sit down and have talks with their young women and young men. For them to be mindful of their surroundings at all times,' Webster said. 'And I think that's what the whole message of MMIW is, to watch out for each other.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
14-03-2025
- The Guardian
‘They shouldn't have to fight alone': the families on the frontline of the Navajo Nation missing people crisis
On a cold January evening in 2021, Joey Apachee, a Navajo father of two, set out to meet a friend near the water tower in Steamboat, Arizona. Hours later, he was found beaten to death. However, despite a confession from a suspect, no trial has taken place. Joey's father Jesse Apachee, a retired police officer, says the family feels abandoned by the Navajo Nation's justice system. Indigenous people experience violence at alarmingly high rates. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, in some parts of the US, Indigenous women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average. Additionally, 10,123 Native American people were recorded as missing in 2022, though the real tally is probably higher due to inconsistencies in reporting and data collection. In recent years the crisis has expanded to affect more men and boys, who now account for 46% of missing person cases. This crisis, referred to as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) crisis, is deeply felt in the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. As of February 2024, the Navajo police department reported 73 missing individuals (some of whom have been missing since the 1970s). Of those, 51 were men and 22 were women. Across this vast and isolated landscape, Navajo families are often left to search for their loved ones, or else clues to their loved ones' deaths, with little to no assistance from law enforcement agencies. Depending on the case, those agencies might include the Navajo Nation's own authorities, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the FBI or state police. 'Mom, I'm going home.' Those were the last words Calvin Willie Martinez spoke to his mother, Aldeena Lopez, when he called her from a truck stop on his way back from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in May 2019. He never made it. The years leading up to Calvin's disappearance were marked by profound loss: his girlfriend and youngest son perished in a house fire in 2014, a tragedy that weighed heavily on him though he remained close with his family. Jurisdictional challenges have impeded the investigation into his disappearance: Albuquerque police initially refused to take the case because Calvin was from Farmington, a border town near the Navajo reservation, and Farmington's police pushed the case to yet another jurisdiction. As the investigation drags on, Aldeena makes repeated trips to retrace her son's last known steps, clinging to the hope that she might uncover a lead. 'I went to all the stops from Farmington to Albuquerque. I think I am doing the right thing,' she said. Darlene Gomez, the only lawyer in the US providing pro bono representation for MMIR cases, has seen first-hand the slow, indifferent response from various law enforcement agencies. 'There is a lack of resources, training, accountability, transparency and emergency response,' she said. 'Families have to become their own investigators. They're the ones putting up posters, following leads, demanding accountability.' Many families rely on grassroots networks, online campaigns and advocacy groups to keep their cases alive. The Navajo police department's Missing Person Unit, one of the few dedicated MMIR law enforcement teams in the region, is tasked with partnering with search-and-rescue teams and working closely with families to document and track cases. But with just one sergeant, four patrol officers and three civilian staff members, it faces an overwhelming caseload. Overall, the Navajo police department has approximately 210 officers to patrol the entire Navajo Nation – a vast area roughly the size of West Virginia. With limited personnel and funding, they struggle to respond effectively to the MMIR crisis. Border towns near the reservation, where many Navajo residents travel or move to for work, have also long been sites of violence and disappearances. But law enforcement coordination between tribal, state and federal agencies remains fractured, leading to cases that fall through the cracks. Families often find themselves shuttled between jurisdictions, each unwilling or unable to take full responsibility for an investigation. The Navajo Nation president, Buu Nygren, acknowledges the severity of the crisis, saying that it would be 'a very difficult task to guarantee the safety of the Navajo Nation' while individuals continue to go missing. Meanwhile, Richelle Montoya, the first woman elected vice-president of the Navajo Nation, has made MMIR a priority, advocating for policy changes and increased resources to keep Navajo residents safe. 'These families shouldn't have to fight alone,' she said. 'We need real, structural change – better coordination, better funding and more accountability.' In the absence of meaningful administrative action, the families have become the frontline in the crisis as they try to bring their missing relatives home. For them, there is no option but to keep searching.
CBS News
14-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Thousands to march to honor missing and murdered Indigenous people
MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of people are expected to march Friday in Minneapolis to honor missing and murdered Indigenous people. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives March will start at the Minneapolis American Indian Center at 11 a.m., with speakers from the community. People will then march to ensure the memory of the missing women, girls, men, boys, two-spirit and LGBTQI+ relatives is kept alive. Indigenous women account for less than 1% of Minnesota's population but make up about 10% of missing women in the state. Indigenous men are also overrepresented, state officials say. "We use this day as a time to increase visibility of this issue, call on legislators and policy makers to be accountable to our communities, and to honor our families and relatives who have been impacted," said Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition Executive Director Nicole Matthews. "I look forward to the day when we no longer need rallies like this, because we will have ended this violence against our people. But until will take up space in the streets and continue to call for action." Last year, 716 Indigenous people went missing in Minnesota; 57% were women. In 2021, Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation that created the country's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office. In 2024, the office provided services to 28 families and consulted on 10 additional cases. Four cases were closed when a victim was found safe or was located, officials say. To help raise awareness about missing Indigenous relatives, Minnesotans can purchase a MMIR license plate, which supports the Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Account, that considers rewards for tips that lead to a resolution of a missing or murdered Indigenous relative's case.
