Family affected by the Missing
and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Crisis feel lackluster media
coverage influences how cases are perceived by the public and pursued by
law enforcement. That’s according to new guidelines released by the
federal government this week on best practices for media coverage of
MMIP.
The guidelines result from roundtable discussions moderated by
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland and attended by
more than 200 participants, including journalists, survivors, community
advocates, and Tribal and federal officials. Among the participants
where members of the Not Invisible Act Commission,
a 41-person committee tasked with developing recommendations improving
intergovernmental collaboration on violent crimes in Indian Country and
providing resources for survivors and victims’ families.
Between 2022 and 2023, the Commission held seven in-person listening
sessions across Indian Country, plus one virtual session. According to the Commission’s 212-page report,
more than 600 individuals attended the hearings. Of those, 260 gave
testimony to the NIAC, sharing their expertise, experiences, and
recommendations to address and reduce the tragic consequences of the
crisis of missing, murdered, and trafficked American Indians and Alaska
Natives. Many families and survivors expressed concern at the lack of
media coverage or coverage that reinforces long-standing prejudice
against Native communities.
The new recommendations encourage journalists to focus on an MMIP
humanity rather than any potential criminal background. Also, the
guidelines urge media to contextualize cases within the disparities
faced by Native communities, wrought by generations of forced
assimilation, broken treaty promises, and gross underfunding for health
and public safety. Using language such as “crisis” vs. “epidemic” and
“at-risk” vs. “vulnerable” is encouraged.
The report also features guidelines for strengthening collaboration
between law enforcement and journalists, including designating public
information officers to release timely information on MMIP case
developments to the media.
The MMIP crisis is characterized by Native American communities
experiencing disproportionately high rates of assault, abduction and
murder. The crisis dates back decades, underpinned by systemic apathy,
jurisdictional confusion, and underfunded law enforcement. There is no
nationwide data system for MMIP information, and the actual number of
MMIP cases is unknown; however, the Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates
there are 4,200 unsolved cases.
MMIP.The
Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced today it will launch a new
print and digital awareness campaign to commemorate the upcoming
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5. (WILL BE UPDATED)
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) National Day of
Recognition May 5th- Raising Awareness
The Red Sand Project Earthworks | Red Sand Project pouring red sand into sidewalk cracks highlights things we often overlook. May 5th
is recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) throughout the nation (North America).
Walk With Our Sisters to continue to raise awareness surrounding MMIWG
A walk being planned for early May is hoping to raise more awareness surrounding an ongoing national crisis.
The second annual Walk With Our Sisters is being planned by a
collective of local agencies all with a goal of raising awareness around
the emergency of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
(MMIWG), along with boys and two-spirit people. The walk is scheduled
for Tuesday, May 7, 2024, and will begin at the Fort Frances Senior
Centre at 12:00 p.m. before making its way to the United Native
Friendship Centre (UNFC) on Scott and Mowat.
Rhonda Howells, the preservation worker with the Northwestern Ontario
Metis Child and Family Services (NWOMCFS), along with the UNFC’s
aboriginal healing and wellness worker Amanda Guimond and
Giishkaandago’Ikwe Health Services’ Memengwaawag liaison and case
manager Brandis Oliver have been planning this event with the intent to
give it even more of an impact than last year’s in order to really drive
home the message that the Rainy River District is not immune to the
realities of MMIWG.
“There had been some extended interest [following last year’s walk]
and so we’re hoping that this year is a bigger and better event,”
Howells said.
“We’ve got more partners that are on board, so we’re excited to bring
this awareness to the community. We were just talking earlier about the
woman that’s missing locally. We need to be bringing awareness to our
community. We are not exempt from this. Being a border town, it is
definitely something we have to be very conscientious of. We need to
raise or children to have a voice and we need to educate people so that
everyone is aware of it to keep everyone safe. That’s one of the reasons
why this Walk With Our Sisters is so important in our area. We are
directly impacted by it and a lot of people don’t necessarily realize
that it is right under our noses.”
Howells said that the walk is part of a movement seeking to end
violence against women and seeks to draw attention to high rates of
violence, disappearances and murders against Indigenous people in
Canada, particularly women and girls. She noted that the frequency of
this crisis is at such a level that there are few Indigenous people who
haven’t been affected by it in some fashion.
“Chances are that if you know an Indigenous person, they are related to someone who has gone missing,” she said.
“That’s how common it is.”
Guimond noted the walk will begin with a blessing by an elder from
Seine River who has been impacted by human trafficking in her family,
and whose granddaughter is making and will be dancing in a red jingle
dress for the event. Ribbons will be passed out to all participants in
the walk, who can then personalize them by writing the name of a missing
or murdered loved one, or simply something that is significant to them.
Once the walk arrives at the UNFC, the walkers will hang their ribbons
along the fence that borders the two main roadways, a bagged lunch will
provided for participants, and a special drum song by the UNFC’s women’s
hand drumming group will also be performed. Guimond said the song was
gifted to the drum group specifically for the missing and murdered
indigenous women, girls and two-spirited.
The most recent stats on MMIWG come from 2020, according to Howells,
and at that point in time it was reported that Indigenous women are up
to six times more likely to be murdered or sexually assaulted, and four
times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be victims of violence. The stats also reveal that one in three Indigenous women have been, or
will experience, rape in their lifetime, and that murder is the third
leading cause of death for Indigenous women. Considering the statistics
are now four years old, Oliver said it’s almost certain those statistics
are under-representing today’s reality.
“It’s a national emergency right now,” she said.
“The government has actually put in that it’s a national emergency
with the amount of victims that are now being found in landfills across
Canada, and how much of an issue it actually is. I don’t think the
numbers are correct, from what they put out.”
Howells said that after last year’s participant count of 156, the
organizing group set this year’s goal for 250 walk participants, and
even greater numbers in years to come. She said that the three of them
see the Walk as another opportunity to spread the word about MMIWG,
hoping that people will realize that it is something that is impacting
our region, and noted that conversation is the key to learning more and
taking action.
“We need to start that conversation so we can educate our children so that they’re not victims,” Howells said.
“We need to bring awareness so that if you do see something that
doesn’t feel quite right, there is a place for people to go. People need
to know what to do. We’ve got great people, we’ve got mental health
counsellors, they’re there and they are going to be present. If you need
support, we’ve got that support here. We encourage anyone to
participate. You don’t have to Indigenous, you don’t have to be a woman.
The more awareness that we can bring to our community, when the
traffickers come through here, if they know people are watching, maybe
it will discourage someone from being taken.”
“We want to stop that bystander effect,” Guimond added.
“People are not paying attention, they’re not calling to report
anything that they’re seeing. We really want that to come to an end
because that will help protect more people from violent situations.”
The Walk organizers also shared that in the lead-up to the event,
businesses in Fort Frances and along Scott Street are invited to
decorate their front windows with red dresses, handprints or other
similar symbols to show solidarity with the walk. Participating
businesses will be eligible for a prize for the best display.
Metis Society of Fort St. John to host first-ever Red Dress Day event
Local Journalism Initiative
The
Metis Society of Fort St. John is hosting its first-ever Red Dress Day
event, highlighting local Metis and Indigenous vendors and entrepreneurs
through an artisan market.
Metis Society board member Bailey
Copeland says the event came to fruition after the organization’s board,
elected in 2023, started discussing how to recognize the significant
day.
“We decided it would be a really good idea to bring some sort
of a public event to Fort St. John that brings awareness and helps move
us towards reconciliation,” said Copeland.
“I hope that people
will attend the event, speak to some of the vendors, maybe learn their
stories, and potentially learn who they've lost because most indigenous
people have lost somebody.”
Red Dress Day began as an art project
by Indigenous artist Jaime Black. In 2010, Black displayed an
installation at the University of Winnipeg that included red dresses
symbolizing the growing number of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
and Girls (MMIWG) nationwide.
“Just like the visual of the red
dress itself, [this event] provides us with an opportunity to consider
the pain and loss experienced by Indigenous people,” says Copeland.
According
to Statistics Canada, 490 Indigenous women and girls were killed
between 2009 and 2021. Of those who were murdered, 60 per cent were
First Nations, eight per cent were Inuit, and seven per cent were Métis.
Locally,
the Indigenous community can point to the disappearances of Renee
Didier and Darlyn Supernant, who were last seen in Dawson Creek in 2023.
Copeland says there is the hope that more will come involved as the date draws near.
“Bead
workers and individuals from Indigenous businesses will come and
display their products,” said Copeland. “Several Indigenous businesses
are in town, so we’re still reaching out and hoping for more sign-ups.”
The market will be available on May 5th at Festival Plaza (Fort St. John Metis Society)
She
wants the event to open up conversations between the community,
non-Indigenous and Indigenous, as people in Canada strive toward
reconciliation.
According to Copeland, she feels that listening
and sharing their stories allows non-Indigenous people to experience a
bit of what Indigenous people have lost.
“Every event that we have in the public just makes our community more culturally diverse,” said Copeland.
The market will occur from noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Festival Plaza at 96th Avenue and 100th Street in Fort St. John.
A solemn walk to remember all Missing & Murdered Indigenous
Peoples (MMIP) is happening in Red Deer on May 5, or what is known
nationally as Red Dress Day.
The walk begins at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony at the Common Ground Garden Project (5581 45 Street).
Putting a spotlight on missing and murdered Indigenous women is
something Kali Reis (Wampanoag) has been passionate about throughout her career and is
one of the reasons she signed on to play Navarro. “That’s the whole
reason why I started bringing awareness to different issues in the
community with my boxing career,” Reis says.
In June 2022, Reis was announced as the co-lead of True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of HBO's anthology crime series. Reis starred alongside Jodie Foster as a detective investigating the disappearance of eight men from an Alaskan research station. WIKI
In Canada, research shows that 13 per cent of missing adults are Indigenous, despite Indigenous people making up only 5 per cent of the population.
“We
started MMIP [Investigations] because we thought, ‘What can we do on
the ground to bring tangible results to the families that need it the
most?'” said Vawn Jeddry co-founder of Alberta-based MMIP Investigations and a member of English River First Nation.
MMIP Investigations currently has private investigator licences in Alberta and British Columbia, with charitable status in Alberta, they’re working towards nation-wide charitable status as funding plays a big part in what they can offer.
One of two signs that have been put up at both ends of We'koqma'q, on Cape Breton Island. (submitted by Annie Bernard-Daisley )
Two new signs along
TransCanada Highway 105 passing through We'koqma'q First Nation in Nova
Scotia are meant to shine a light on the ongoing issue of missing and
murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Chief Annie Bernard-Daisley
said she wants to empower her community to tackle the underlying risk
factors that make Indigenous people targets of violence.
"One part of the signage is that change is needed," said Bernard-Daisley.
"The change should be occurring on a community level, community by community."
Bernard-Daisley
said the signs in the community on Cape Breton Island, about
75 kilometres southwest of Sydney, N.S., have three key goals: to shine a
light on the ongoing issues, to deter human trafficking and to honour Cassidy Bernard.
Bernard, Bernard-Daisley's
22-year-old cousin, was found dead in her home in 2018. Bernard's
ex-boyfriend Austin Dwight Isadore pleaded guilty to manslaughter and
child abandonment in 2022, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
"It was emotional for [Cassidy's mother] to see the signage in our community on many levels," said Bernard-Daisley.
Annie
Bernard-Daisley at a rally in memory of her cousin Cassidy Bernard in
2019. Now chief of We'koqma'q, she says the signs are meant to keep the
conversation going around murdered and missing Indigenous women and
girls. (Brittany Wentzell/CBC)
She said We'koqma'q has worked to make the community safer and has applied for funding through Indigenous Service Canada's Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative,
which has committed $120 million over five years (2021-2026) to improve
safety and well being in First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities.
Bernard-Daisley
said through the program she hopes to add sidewalks, street lights and
reliable taxi services to the First Nation.
"Those of us that are working on the front lines know what our community needs more than the government ever will," she said.
In
2019, the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women
and girls released its final report, with 231 calls for justice —
recommendations on how to end violence toward Indigenous women and
girls.
CBC News released a report card in 2023 tracking progress on the calls for justice, and at the time only two calls were completed, with many still in progress.
'A strong message'
Barry
Bernard from Eskasoni First Nation, co-designer of the sign, was at a
photo shoot working with a Mi'kmaw model when he thought about messaging
around MMIWG.
Once he saw the model with the red hand print, he said he knew it embodied strength.
"It's
a strong message to send out, but it's true there are still missing and
murdered Indigenous women and children today as we talk all around
North America," he said.
"I hope the message says that we need to educate everybody and it's not only just our problem, it's everybody's problem."
Anita
Boyle, executive director of Nignen women's shelter, says she'd like to
see communities return to traditional systems that valued women. (Oscar Baker III/ CBC )
Anita
Boyle, executive director of Nignen, a women's shelter in Natoaganeg
First Nation in New Brunswick, said addressing the issue of missing and
murdered Indigenous women and girls is multifaceted.
It would
require things such as ensuring law enforcement and the judicial system
understand the role intergenerational trauma plays in the lives of
Indigenous people, adequate housing for Indigenous women in urban
centres; and for men in Canada to get more education around intimate
partner violence.
Cases in new AK missing persons report go back to 1960
A first-of-its-kind report on missing persons in Alaska,
which maps out hundreds of cases going back to 1960, has been released
by state's Department of Public Safety and the Anchorage Police
Department, as Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports.
The State Department of Public Safety and the Anchorage Police Department collaborated to collect this data.
Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the Public Safety Department, says the report maps out hundreds of cases going back to 1960.
“We think this is a good first effort, and we’re definitely interested in adding additional data points.”
McDaniel
says the work, which is an outgrowth of Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK)’s
People First Initiative, will be updated every quarter and can be found
online.
In the last quarter, from April to June, 200 Alaska Native
or American Indian people went missing in the state. Most of those have
been found, except for 25.
The database has an important new feature.
It categorizes the circumstances surrounding the disappearances, identifying those which are suspicious.
As
director of the Data for Indigenous Justice group, Charlene Apok
welcomes the new report and says it’s what advocates for missing
Indigenous people have been asking for – for years.
She worked on an earlier attempt to track their numbers.
“Sadly,
I think what this really illustrates is a systemic issue of violence
that’s being perpetrated in our community in the state of Alaska. And
that should raise flags and alarms, and really start igniting justice.”
Apok
hopes the database will continue to improve and provide more
information about those missing, including their hometowns and Native
cultural identities, so they become more than just points of data, but
reminders of loved ones, lost to their families.
my screenshot from the new report👆
**Maybe this TV show helped?👇👇
only one season, sadly
Yesterday I watched the last two episodes of Alaska Daily who had made a similar map and report... Devastating to watch... Trace
