The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons — both women and men — demands our immediate attention and action. The unsettling discrepancy revealed between the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), reporting 5,712 missing cases in 2016, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), which logged only 116, clearly shows the systemic failures and lack of adequate response to this ongoing tragedy.
This substantial underreporting isn’t just a statistical abnormality, it’s a harsh reminder of the challenges in data consistency, insufficient interagency communication, and systemic negligence that have left Indigenous communities vulnerable. How many more must vanish before meaningful intervention can occur?
House Bill 234 offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting concrete steps toward repairing this crisis. By requiring law enforcement to undergo mandatory cultural sensitivity training, establishing a specialized review commission, and improving investigative resources tailored to Indigenous cases, HB 234 seeks to remedy the gaps through which too many have disappeared.
Yet, the path to justice and safety for Indigenous peoples requires more than legislative change alone. It requires a cooperative effort from all corners of our society. It calls for dismantling biases that have long hindered fair treatment and justice, embracing community-led solutions, and fundamentally centering Indigenous voices in drafting the policies that affect their lives.
I call us readers and community leaders to advocate for the enactment of HB 234 and similar measures. It is time for us to stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities, ensuring that the epidemic of disappearances does not claim another generation.
Together, let’s bring those in the shadows into the light of justice and protection.
— Danelle Shellikoff
Anchorage
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