To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Natalie Arroyo
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Week in Humboldt County
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt the proclamation.
Body
STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Safe & Healthy Communities
DISCUSSION:
The Board of Supervisors would like to recognize that May 5th was National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day and wishes to increase awareness of missing or murdered Indigenous persons, whose cases far too often go unsolved, by proclaiming May 5th - 11th, 2024 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons week.
Research indicates California has the largest population of Native Americans, more than any other state in the country. MMIP cases often go unsolved for a number of reasons, such as lack of funding for law enforcement and an ability to establish and maintain strong partnerships with other agencies that could assist in resolving cases. Since data tracking of MMIP is scarce, the actual number of cases is unknown. However, statistics have shown that cases of missing and murdered indigenous women are 7 times less likely to be solved than any other demographic.
For consideration links below have been provided to support these efforts and for increasing public awareness:
• FBI’s National Crime Information Center reported 5,203 missing Indigenous girls and women in 2021, disappearing at a rate equal to more than two and a half times their estimated share of the U.S. population. Indigenous women ae also two times more likely to be victims of rape compared to white women. 'A Crisis Ignored': Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women - The Crime Report <https://thecrimereport.org/2022/05/05/a-crisis-ignored-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women/>
• Centers for Disease Control notes that murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Indigenous women. 'A Crisis Ignored': Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women - The Crime Report <https://thecrimereport.org/2022/05/05/a-crisis-ignored-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women/>
• California has the fifth-highest number of missing and murdered Indigenous people cases in the country. <https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-a-racist-law-is-causing-more-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-in-california-opinion/ar-BB1lyRv2>
• Lack of funding for criminal justice on tribal lands for six states, including California.
• Remote rural areas where law enforcement is less available to respond and there are fewer opportunities for partners and connections to other communities.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact to adopting a proclamation.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
None
ATTACHMENTS:
Proclamation
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A