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In an effort to combat high rates of violence, murder, and the disappearance of Native people, a three-day listening session began Wednesday in Albuquerque, N.M..
KUNM’s Alice Fordham reports the hearing is part of a nationwide effort to collect testimony.
It’s the latest of several hearings by the U.S. Interior Department held in areas with high Indigenous populations.
The process was laid out in a law called the Not Invisible Act, which was proposed in 2019 by current Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) when she was in Congress.
“A real solution will never be found without the voices of Indigenous survivors, which is what is so special about this bill.”
Now, a body called the Not Invisible Commission, including advocates, tribal leaders and law enforcement, is traveling the country holding discussions and collecting testimony.
At Wednesday’s event, panelists discussed the difficulty of recruiting police, especially in tribal areas. And commission members raised their frustrations at inconsistencies in help from law enforcement from tribal police to the FBI.
The sister of Commissioner Patricia Whitefoot (member of Yakama Nation) went missing decades ago.
“There was a lack of any consistent and meaningful communication with myself and my family of my sister missing for that long. And, and it’s it’s difficult to say how angry you are about all of that, and the anger that family members may carry.”
Alex Uballez, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced the creation of a new Department of Justice program assigning ten attorneys and coordinators in five regions to help combat the violence and disappearances.
On Thursday and Friday, the commission will hear from relatives of the disappeared.
Two more hearings are planned this summer and the commission is expected to submit recommendations to combat the crisis in the fall.
Canada’s top Native leader has been ousted as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the decision came after an investigation into her leadership.
It was the second time Roseanne Archibald (Taykwa Tagamou Nation) faced questions about her leadership.
She was suspended a year ago by the AFN’s executive committee and national board of directors. But was reinstated pending a third party investigation.
Following that third party probe, AFN members voted 71% in favor of removing Archibald her job effective immediately.
Paul Prosper (Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation) is a regional chief with the AFN.
“She breached her obligations to the company, contrary to her oath of office, to our code of conduct and to our whistle blower policy.”
The decision comes after the investigation ended into complaints made against Archibald last year.
In a draft resolution, investigators found that she harassed two complainants and retaliated against all five complainants for coming forward with their disputes.
She was also found to be in breach of the assembly’s confidentiality agreement.
Archibald became the first woman to lead the largest First Nations organization in 2021.
She has maintained her innocence. She has also called for an audit and independent investigation into the AFN over corruption and toxicity within the organization.
The interim national chief will step into her role until an election is held for a new chief in December.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday it will make $75 million available for tribal communities through the Indian Community Development Block Grant Program.
Grants can help fund infrastructure, public services, economic development, and more.
Applications can be submitted through September.
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