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U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) has requested the issue of violent crime be addressed on the nation’s reservations, as C.J. Keene reports.
Via a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the Senator has requested the creation of the Violent Crime Reduction Commission specifically for tribal lands.
This came after several tribes addressed concern about violent crime conditions on tribal land.
Sen. Rounds describes the situation on Great Plains reservation communities as a quote “public safety crisis”.
Historically, reservations have seen higher-than-average rates of violent crime than the larger U.S. while contending with understaffing of law enforcement services.
A report that highlighted the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous people was removed from several federal websites last month, to the disappointment of some Alaska Native advocates.
Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more.
The final report by the Not Invisible Act Commission was a joint effort of the U.S. justice and interior departments completed in November 2023.
It focused on the disproportionate rates of assault and murder in Indigenous communities across the country as well as unique issues faced by Alaska Native people.
President Donald Trump signed the law that mandated the report during his first term.
In February, the report’s authors and advocates noticed that the link had been deleted from several federal websites, including the Department of Justice website.
The reason for the removal was not immediately clear.
Michelle Demmert (Tlingit and Haida) is a longtime tribal judge and the University of Alaska Fairbanks professor who was one of the report’s commissioners. She says she was deeply disappointed with its removal.
“It’s like a slap in the face. It just really saddens me to have the report removed like it doesn’t even exist.”
Over 18 months, the commission heard from people across the country, including Anchorage, Bethel, and Emmonak. Those stories were included in the final report.
“People traveled far and wide to come give testimony about situations that involve their loved ones. They trusted us with their stories, even though it was painful for them to have to retell these stories, but they felt like this might be the one opportunity that someone hears them and takes action.”
Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq) is the executive director of the non-profit Data for Indigenous Justice.
Apok attended the commission hearing that was held in Anchorage.
She says she found it unsettling that the report was deleted from several websites, but she doesn’t want people to be discouraged.
“We still know what was said. We still know our truth. We still know our stories, and they can’t take that away from us. Our knowledge and our truth is something that cannot be erased.”
Apok also says she appreciated the report’s specific recommendations for Alaska.
She says they spoke to historic violence against Alaska Native women, the landscape and structure of rural communities, and challenges with legal and public safety systems.
Apok adds that despite the report’s removal, organizations like Data for Indigenous Justice will continue to document and track cases of violence against Indigenous people in Alaska.
The Center for Native American Youth has announced its newest cohort of the Remembering Our Sisters Fellowship.
The virtual storytelling and digital arts program, supports Native young “women and femme-identifying leaders” who are raising awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S+).
During the six-month program, fellows will create digital art and storytelling projects to bring attention to the issue.
Six fellows from tribes across the country including from Oklahoma, Arizona, and California were chosen for the program.
Fellows will receive technical assistance, mentorship, and opportunities to share their projects.
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