New commission formed to investigate the missing or murdered indigenous persons crisis

The U.S. Departments of Interior and Justice on Thursday, named more than 35 members to the Not Invisible Act Commission that will look into the crisis involving missing and murdered Indigenous persons cases.

The new advisory committee is composed of law enforcement, tribal leaders, and federal partners, family members of missing and murdered individuals and survivors that will make recommendations to Interior and Justice, according to a Department of Interior news release.

“A lack of urgency, transparency and coordination has hampered our country’s efforts to combat violence against American Indian and Alaska Native people,” said United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

In Minnesota, there are 11 federally recognized tribal communities, there are seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux).

Upwards of 54 indigenous women and girls are missing during any given month, according to a December 2020 Minnesota report.

Although American Indian women and girls make up just 1% of the state’s population, from 2010 through 2018, 8% of all murdered women and girls in Minnesota were American Indian, according to the state report.

“The rates of missing persons cases and violence against American Indian, Alaska native, and native Hawaiian communities are disproportionate, alarming, and unacceptable,” Haaland said.

Alongside Highway 169, in Mille Lacs County, near the casino Friday, there are red dress setup as part of a display to raise awareness about the issue in this community and beyond.

“We know it’s a problem, a huge problem,” said Nicole Anderson, Commissioner of Health and Human Services for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. “But what leads to that, human trafficking, sex trafficking, domestic violence, gang violence, there are so many things that lead to our relatives being impacted in this way.” Once the red dress display comes down, Anderson said the issue it stands for cannot go away.

“Keep talking about these tough conversations — and situations — for so long have been swept under the rug.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior-Indian Affairs now profiles cases that they need help solving.

The new federal commission named on Thursday has yet to release the date of its first meeting. More on the topics they plan to examine can be learned here.