As Petito case captivates U.S., missing Native women ignored

[RandySF]

In Wyoming, the state where Petito's body was found, only 18% of indigenous female homicide victims get newspaper coverage, compared with 51% for white female and male victims, according to a state report.

Between 2011 and September 2020, more than 400 indigenous women and girls were reported missing in Wyoming, according to the report.

Homicide is the third-leading cause of death among Native women who are murdered at rates more than 10 times the national average, according to federal data.

Media coverage of homicides of indigenous people was more likely to use violent language and portray the victim in negative light, according to the Wyoming report. Commentators have noted that coverage of missing Black, Hispanic and other women who are not white is similarly sparse and loaded.

Investigations into violence against Native peoples have been underfunded for decades, with murders and missing persons cases often unsolved and unaddressed, according to U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold the position. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which runs law enforcement on Indian lands, is part of Interior.




https://www.reuters.com/world/us/petito-case-captivates-us-missing-native-women-ignored-2021-09-22/?taid=614c1339a5c42200013c7284&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

[niyad]

1. and the WAR ON WOMEN continues apace. Would you consider cross-posting this in

Women's Rights And Issues? Thanks in advance.

[Comfortably_Numb]

2. Just finished watching "Wind River" on Netflix. It's about this very issue.

[Klaralven]

3. Should Indian Reservations Give Local Cops Authority on Their Land?

Although subject to federal law—the FBI investigates major crimes on reservations—Indian tribes are sovereign, and their lands generally fall outside state jurisdiction. On most reservations, state and local police have no authority. Inviting them onto tribal lands is more like asking Canadian Mounties to assist police in upstate New York than it is asking for help from the cops in the next county over. And while there are examples of successful cross-jurisdictional agreements on these lands, many tribes remain wary of permitting state or local police to operate there—a reluctance with deep historical roots that’s grounded in fear of state encroachment on tribal sovereignty and a longstanding distrust of outside law enforcement.

Yet, many tribes—habitually underfunded by the federal government, often living on far-flung, rural lands, and facing some of the highest rates of violent crime in the nation—are in dire need of whatever law-enforcement assistance they can get. With the Trump administration proposing to slash tens of millions of dollars from the tribal public-safety budget, the problem is poised to grow more vexing still.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/police-pine-ridge-indian-reservation/534072/

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Police, Office of Justice Services (BIA or BIA-OJS),[1] also known as BIA Police,[2] is the law enforcement arm of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. The BIA's official mission is to "uphold the constitutional sovereignty of the Federally recognized Tribes and preserve peace within Indian country".[3] It provides police, investigative, corrections, technical assistance, and court services across the over 567 registered Indian tribes and reservations, especially those lacking their own police force; additionally, it oversees tribal police organizations.[3] BIA services are provided through the Office of Justice Services Division of Law Enforcement.[4]

In 2004 the agency employed 320 officers.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Indian_Affairs_Police

U.S. Supreme Court clarifies authority of tribal police on reservations

Addressing a situation that could become increasingly common in Oklahoma, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that tribal law enforcement officers can temporarily detain and search non-Indian suspects traveling on public roads in Indian reservations.

In a unanimous decision in a case from the Crow Reservation in Montana, the high court said a Crow police officer had the authority to detain a non-Indian stopped on the side of a highway and search him and his vehicle, in which the officer saw methamphetamine and guns.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2021/06/01/supreme-court-says-tribal-police-can-search-detain-non-indians/7493486002/

[AngryOldDem]

4. This applies also to most missing POC.

I hear that Joy Reid brought up the “missing white woman” phenomenon the other night. Good for her. Whenever anyone goes missing, especially under sinister circumstances, word needs to get out. Justice does not only apply to pretty, young, and white social media “influencers”.

And God save me, I’m getting tired of the media’s obsession with Petito. Until they find the boyfriend, everything that can be said HAS been said. Countless times. Enough.

EDIT: Just posted a story on this. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/us/families-missing-black-people/index.html