UPDATED: Oklahoma legislators, Cherokee Nation emphasize need to address missing and murdered Indigenous people – Claremore Daily Progress

Updated Feb. 26.

Activist organizations across the United States have compared incidents of missing and murdered Indigenous people to a plague, an epidemic, and a national emergency.

Oklahoma state legislators and the Cherokee Nation recently pledged to end it, with bills and natives targeted at data collection and emergency response.

For too many Native women, violence is an ever-present threat, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. wrote in a December editorial. Murder is the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our Native sisters experience rates of violence at 10 times the national average. A large majority have been victimized by non-Native perpetrators.

In the Oklahoma House of Representatives, a bipartisan group of legislators authored five bills addressing missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP).

House Bill 3892, authored by Rep. Merelyn Bell (D-Norman), would require law enforcement to collect detailed biological information about the missing child, the person reporting the child missing, and the alleged suspects. The bill is currently awaiting review by the Public Safety Committee.

Too many Native American families in our state have suffered loss and trauma when a loved one went missing or was murdered, especially when that loved one is a child, Bell said. We must be intentional about preventing the next child from being ripped from their family and community.

Bell also authored House Bill 3893, which would allow for the creation of an electronic repository of student photographs to ensure there is a current photo of the child for law enforcement to use in helping locate them when they are identified as missing. The bill is currently awaiting review by the Public Safety Committee.

In missing person cases, every second counts, Bell said. The creation of a photo database will allow law enforcement to obtain data critical to their success in locating missing persons in a timely manner.

Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City), authored Idas Law, House Bill 3345, which outlines the creation of the Office of Liaison under the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. The Office of Liaison will consist of a missing person specialist with significant experience working alongside tribal communities.

HB3345 is in honor of Ida Beard, Dollens said. Ida has been missing since June 30, 2015. Beard is a citizen on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and her missing person case remains open to this day. Ida is one of many Native American women and girls across the country that has vanished without a trace and continues to vanish at alarming rates.

Ida's Law passed through the Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Feb. 25 with a vote of 14 to 0.

Working closely with tribal members for the past year on legislation to address MMIP in Oklahoma has been a transformative experience. The heartache and suffering that this community has gone through is brutal, and it is real," Dollens said. "I am proud to see Idas Law pass through committee today, and I want to commend each of the fierce Native American advocates, especially LaRenda Morgan with the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes and Ashley Nicole McCray Absentee Shawnee for bringing this issue to my attention and now to the attention of our state. I commend each of them, and I thank all tribal members for including me on this journey.

House Bill 2847, authored by Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton), would creat a Red Alert System through the Department of Public Safety for when indigenous people are reported missing. The bill is currently awaiting review by the Public Health Committee.

Pae also authored House Bill 2848, which would require law enforcement officers to take an additional hour of CLEET training that would focus solely on cultural competency and sensitivity training when interacting with missing indigenous people and their families. The bill is currently awaiting review by the Public Safety Committee.

Like most issues, one of the biggest barriers to helping with the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people is education, Pae said. My bills deal with educating the public when indigenous people go missing and educating law enforcement about the needs of this community. I appreciate my colleagues for shining a light on this issue, and I look forward to working with many more to get this legislation across the finish line.

Each piece of legislation came as a result to an interim study on MMIP that concluded in November.

Representatives of Rogers County sit on committees where these bills are currently under review, including Rep. Tom Gann (R-Inola) on Public Safety and Rep. Terry ODonnell (R-Verdigris) on Judiciary.

On the specific legislation put forward by state legislators, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said, The Cherokee Nation supports raising awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state legislature and opening a dialogue with state leaders about potential solutions. At this time, the Cherokee Nation is still reviewing MMIP related legislation and has not made an official endorsement on any of the related legislation, but will continue to monitor these bills and work closely with legislators and bill sponsors.

Within the Cherokee Nation, however, the commitment to dressing MMIP has been put into action with ongoing initiatives and federal lobbying efforts.

The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service cross deputizes with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies so they can work cases on non-tribal land and across state lines.

Cherokee Nations ONE FIRE Victim Services initiative provides advocacy and legal assistance to Cherokee Nation citizens who are victims of crimes such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking or dating violence.

Victims of domestic violence or sexual assault should call ONE FIREs 24-hour emergency helpline at 866-458-5399 to receive help.

The Cherokee Nation is also advocating at the federal level for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Within the Cherokee Nation, tribal councilors passed a law expanding the tribal VAWA law to authorize prosecution of non-Indians in domestic violence cases, taking advantage of the federal VAWA authority authorizing that.

The grief of losing a sister, mother, niece or cousin is magnified when families feel that government officials are not doing enough to find out what happened and the case remains unsolved, Hoskin said. Now is the time to put a stop to this epidemic. To our federal and state partners, our community advocates, and all Cherokees and allies who are ready to take a stand, let us stand together and combine our resources and our voices to say, No more.

The federal Department of Justice has announced plans to hire 11 coordinators to respond to reports of missing and murdered Native Americans. Oklahoma will have one coordinator. The new plan also calls for the deployment of the FBIs most advanced response capabilities when needed, improved data collection and analysis, and training to support local response efforts.

Go here to read the rest:

UPDATED: Oklahoma legislators, Cherokee Nation emphasize need to address missing and murdered Indigenous people - Claremore Daily Progress