About the 1500 missing Native Americans we've been hearing about lately.

[WarGamer]

Far too often, we see only half the story when there's a clickbait headline to make...

Oh wait, did I say "half" a story? More like a fraction of the real story.

IN this case... whaddya know? The Federal Gov't is already working on it!

Details:

https://www.doi.gov/news/secretary-haaland-creates-new-missing-murdered-unit-pursue-justice-missing-or-murdered-american

4/1/2021
WASHINGTON – Today Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the formation of a new Missing & Murdered Unit (MMU) within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) to provide leadership and direction for cross-departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The MMU will help put the full weight of the federal government into investigating these cases and marshal law enforcement resources across federal agencies and throughout Indian country.

A task force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives — Operation Lady Justice (OLJ) — was formed in 2019 to pursue these unresolved cases. Today’s announcement builds on that work by designating new leadership and support positions, including a Unit Chief responsible for stakeholder collaboration, continued policy development, and overall performance of the unit. The Department is also designating new positions with existing federal funding to support the investigative needs of the MMU, including the collection and analysis of performance data and coordination of services with the families of victims.

[Treefrog]

1. Good to know.

[Budi]

2. APRIL 2021/Sec of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the formation of a new Missing & Murdered Unit

4/1/2021
WASHINGTON – Today Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the formation of a new Missing & Murdered Unit (MMU) within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) to provide leadership and direction for cross-departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives...more

APRIL 2021..Sec Deb Haaland was already on it following her confirmation to Dept of Interior, in March.

[Cobalt Violet]

3. Where are you getting 1500?

Is it really necessary to have such a dismissive attitude about this?

[WarGamer]

5. Some articles lately have beensaying that NOTHING is being done about those missing persons cases...

I'm just showing that the current administration is indeed working to help resolve those cases...

that's all... not dismissive of anything

[Cobalt Violet]

7. they are not saying "nothing is being done"

They're saying that there is very little media coverage compared to the scope of the problem. The number is far higher than 1500.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Yeah, this is definitely a fraction of the real story.

It doesn't address why missing white women is entertainment, the way true crime content shapes our relationship and understanding of violence, or why the police are so utterly crap at solving murders.

[WarGamer]

6. I'm only talking about the current administration working hard on the issue.

[Cobalt Violet]

10. yes finally someone is taking it seriously.

Our media has failed. Most of the criticism is of the media. This problem is as old as colonization and a result of it. No one should be blaming Biden. I agree that it is great and hopeful what Deb is doing.

[WarGamer]

11. We can only move forward, even if the pace is slow... but we can NOT move backwards.

[H2O Man]

12. Correct.

I am puzzled by the OP, as I've yet to read anything that claims no one is looking for missing Native people. It comes too close to a distraction from what people actually and accurately have been saying -- that the national media focuses more on missing white females with blonde hair. Obviously the missing people that this group -- apparently started in 2019 -- are keeping track of and investigating (or attempting to coordinate with state & local law enforcement), since the missing people's family and friends have reported them as missing to authorities. But distractions pop up, intentionally or otherwise.

[Caliman73]

8. It is good that the Biden Administration and Haaland are really starting to take it seriously.

Everything needs a starting point.

That does not preclude the valid concern and critique that both socially and within the legal community, this issue has a long history of not being taken seriously.

Black Americans were held in bondage for centuries. There was a war between factions of the US over the issue, slavery was abolished, but that did not address the issue of discrimination, racism, and White Supremacy that is at the core of the slavery issue. We still have disparate treatment of Black Americans in almost every facet of American society. Same with Indigenous people. Their lands were invaded with hostility. Treaties were signed and then broken repeatedly. The US literally tried to wipe indigenous cultures away by taking children away and trying to turn them White. Women in general have also been stepped on but anything White women have experienced, women of color experienced PLUS racial discrimination. Basically anyone who is not a rich White Protestant Christian Man has had some level of problem with equitable treatment in America.

Lyndon Johnson under pressure from various movements, pushed through the Civil Rights Acts in the 60's and that was a clear legal victory, but as you see, from the very day those laws were signed into effect, there have been forces trying to chip away at them.

When people share their "half" or "fraction" of a story, they are sharing a centuries long history of being ignored, abused, and living as "half" or a "fraction" of a citizen.

It is good that the government is starting to take things more seriously, but you have to understand that like when a person is an alcoholic and they tell their family after 30 years of being a mean drunk, that they have "turned over a new leaf" there may be some skepticism from the family that it will take. Especially if they have tried to go into rehab 10 time before and always relapsed.

[WarGamer]

9. Fair point... but I'm happy to see progress and I hope all those families get answers.

[Caliman73]

14. Progress is good.

We also need to remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. We would not have made much of the social progress that has been made in the US if people were not noisy and rowdy. Despite MLK's advocacy for non-violence (which was good), he was not quiet, at all. The Black Rights movement, the Women's movement, the Chicano movement, LGBT with Stonewall; none of that was quiet and all of it was decried by the media and by "all the good people" as disruptive and ugly.

Rights are never granted by the people in power. They must always be demanded. The stories and complaints about native women and women of color are tools to push people to get something done. I have confidence that Biden and Haaland are taking things seriously, but I think that everyone needs to take it seriously so that it is not up to Biden, or Haaland, or some other singular figure. The demand needs to be so great that anyone, Democratic, Republican, etc... would need to take it seriously.

[betsuni]

13. Thanks, President Biden, for appointing the first Native American Secretary of the Interior,

Deb Haaland.