Atty. Gen. William Barr announces a national plan to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people as concerns mount over the level of violence they face.
as concerns mount over the level of violence that community faces.
The Justice Department’s new initiative would invest $1.5 million to hire specialized coordinators in 11 U.S. attorney’s offices across the country with significant Indian Country caseloads. The coordinators would be responsible for developing protocols for a better law enforcement response to missing-persons cases.Tribal or local law enforcement officials would also be able to call on the FBI to help in some cases of missing indigenous persons.
On the nation’s largest Native American reservation, tribal members welcomed the extra resources and commitment to the issue but questioned how far the money would go given how widespread the problem is. She said tribes are looking to the federal government to fund advocates who can greet families of victims, relay information from law enforcement and provide training. She said tribal communities have resorted to organizing their own search parties and posting fliers in communities and on social media when someone goes missing because they sometimes get little or no response from law enforcement.
A report released last year by the Urban Indian Health Institute said there were 5,712 cases of missing or slain indigenous girls in 2016, but only 116 of those cases were logged in a Justice Department database.The report by the Seattle nonprofit group reflected data from 71 U.S. cities not on tribal land.
Meanwhile, activists have held rallies at state capitols, marched in the streets, put up memorials and billboards, bought television advertising and created exhibits with space for prayer offerings to draw attention to missing indigenous women.
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