MMIWP

For decades, the Bassett family searched for answers for their missing family member.

(Runtime :54)Brian George has been in law enforcement for 27 years. He is an enrolled member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe of the northern tip of the…

Tribal leaders, family members, and Democrat U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington asked President Biden for more federal resources to address the missing and murdered indigenous women and people crisis in Washington.

Washington state has one of the largest numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples cases in the nation.On May 4, the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s Annual Protecting Our Sovereignty Tribal Summit focused on the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis.

By signing into law House Bill 1512, Washington state will create an online toolkit meant to assist families and law enforcement seeking to locate and recover missing persons. The act, known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Persons and Lucian Act, is in part named after Lucian Munguia, who was 4 years old when he went missing in Yakima last September. His body was recovered in December.

On April 20, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law House Bill 1177 that establishes a cold case unit specifically for missing and murdered Indigenous women and people in the state. “This legislation will ensure that Indigenous victims of crime receive robust, thorough investigations, and potential prosecution,” Inslee said.

For over 30 years, Native American Heritage Month has been federally recognized. Northwest Public Broadcasting reporters are interviewing Indigenous people throughout the region to learn what they think about the month and what they want people to understand about their culture and who they are. Reporter Lauren Gallup spoke with Rosalie Fish, a University of Washington student and athlete, who is using her platform to raise awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. As the month ends, the recognition does not and we continue to publish these conversations and stories to inspire more engagement and understanding.

Funds to create a cold case unit, data analysis considering gender and violence, and the expansion of the task force through 2025 are part of the WA…

Tacoma has some of the highest cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People nationwide. Pierce County council members voted to establish an awareness day of this issue.