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Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Gila River Indian Community last week.
This was the first-time in the tribe’s history a sitting vice president had been to the community.
Harris expressed the administration’s commitment to Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes including Gila River.
“President Joe Biden and I believe the bonds between our nations are sacred. And we believe we have a duty to safeguard and strengthen those bonds. To uphold our trust and treaty obligations to honor tribal sovereignty. And to ensure tribal self-determination. President Biden and I also believe we have a duty to address the deep disparities that persist across Indian country.”
Harris was also brought up to speed about GRIC’s water pipeline project, which will help ensure communities receive reliable access to clean water and reduce Colorado River usage.
She expressed her concern of climate change affecting Native communities.
“And in order to create enduring solutions to the climate crisis, we must then rely on the knowledge and experience of the Native communities. And that is why we are investing billions of dollars to help fund Native-led, not Native-consulting, Native-led climate resilient infrastructure projects. Like the projects you are leading here at Gila river.”
The tribe’s water pipeline project is expected to be completed in 2024.
Last week in California, tribal leaders, law enforcement, and state lawmakers gathered to learn how a new tool – the Feather Alert – will work to help law enforcement quickly notify the public about missing Native Americans.
This tool was authored by State Rep. James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA) in January.
In April, the Round Valley Indian Tribes declared a State of Emergency after two of their members were found murdered, the Yurok Tribe issued a similar declaration last year.
In a statement, Rep. Ramos said: “It gets too easy to cite these staggering statistics.”
He’s gratified that the governor approved the bill to help stop violence afflicting California’s Native American communities.
Ramos went on to say the Feather Alert will aid law enforcement and families in getting the word out quickly when a Native individual is missing or endangered by alerting the public in a broad and effective manner.
He says creating an alert or advisory system was a top recommendation from tribal leaders last year for dealing with the disproportionate number of missing Native Americans, particularly women and girls.
During the gathering, it was explained how to activate the Feather Alert, and the criteria to be met in order to activate it.
The missing person needs to be an Indigenous person.
The local law enforcement agency also must determine that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances and the person is believed to be in danger because of age, health, or mental or physical disability – or is in the company of a potentially dangerous person.
In California, the Feather Alert joins the Amber Alert, which is used when children 17 and younger are missing or abducted; the Blue Alert, an alert that notifies the public when a suspect in the assault or killing of a police officer remains at large and the search is active; and the Silver Alert, which notifies the public of elderly, developmentally, or cognitively-impaired persons that go missing and are determined to be at-risk.
These other special notifications overseen by the California Highway Police.
The Red Lake Nation in Minnesota is gearing up for the 25th Annual Anishinaabe Spirit Run, formerly called the sobriety run.
This year, the event focuses on healing, wellness, and recovery.
It’s sponsored by the Red Lake Chemical Health Programs.
The Leech Lake chemical dependency unit and the Mash-Ka-Wisen Treatment Center in Sawyer, Minn. will also co-sponsor the event on August 2-5.
The 200-mile journey will begin with an opening ceremony and remarks.
The runners will carry eagle staffs into the sobriety powwow arena at the Mash-Ka-Wisen Treatment Center.
Using the Native American medicine wheel as a guide, this year’s participants will carry a message of running for 25 years to raise awareness of healing, wellness, and recovery.
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