March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 3, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
Violence faced by Indigenous people is not simply a decades-long problem; it is a 500-year problem that continues to pervade every Indigenous family, said Melissa Pope, chief judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court.
She spoke Friday during a Grand Rapids event to create awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Native populations are vulnerable to heightened victimization of violent crimes such as rape and murder compared to national averages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that homicide rates among American Indian and Alaska Native people are nearly four times higher than homicide rates for white populations. About half of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
But the reason individuals gathered in Grand Rapids is because there is hope for solutions, Pope said, adding that it will take work and communication with Native populations that have long been left out of conversations and resources.
Melissa Pope, Chief Judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court at the March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 3, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
“It takes every person to be involved to be involved with that change. So I am standing here and saying we have this horrendous problem against Native people against Indigenous people. … And these right here are the people that can stop it,” Pope said. “So go back to whatever it is you do, and become involved with the struggle. Talk to your friends; talk to their parents; talk to their grandmas; their aunties; their uncles; attend the rallies; participate in projects. Support in any way you can. … Every person here has the chance to be a part of the solution.”
Indigenous voices need to be heard in rooms where decisions are made, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Chairman Jamie Stuck told attendees. But non-Indigenous communities need to uplift the issue of violence against indigenous people too. State and federal governments need to take these issues seriously to make sure the “epidemic” is taken care of.
And Stuck heralded “that Kwé [Woman] from Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who attended the event, as an ally in the fight against violence.
“No other governor has appointed Anishinaabe people to more committees or commissions than this Kwé from Michigan. And I also want to point out because of her leadership, it’s had an impact on bills and legislation,” Stuck said.
This legislative session, Michigan became the first state to name an official state native grain: manoomin. Whitmer also signed legislation into law that expands the state’s ability to fund tribal domestic and sexual violence shelters and care providers.
Lawmakers have also heard testimony bills to protect Indigenous students’ ability to wear traditional indigenous attire to school and also at graduation.
One bill that Stuck mentioned, HB 5600, which hasn’t seen movement, would create an office of the tribal legislative liaison to connect members of tribal communities to state lawmakers.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 3, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
During her tenure, Whitmer has called on state departments to consult with Indian tribes for insight and prioritize policies that include the needs of the state’s tribal communities.
Stuck said he and Whitmer were having breakfast when the first two cases of COVID-19 were found in Michigan in 2020 and they discussed the problems facing the state.
“Her and I have done so much growing as leaders together as we try to strengthen that government to government relationship, and to make sure that we have great representation and we have that good consultation going on,” Stuck said.
A person needs only look at the numbers to know violence against Michigan’s Indigenous residents is a huge problem, Whitmer told attendees. But uplifting the stories of pain and inequality are key in pushing for solutions.
“These numbers show us the scale of the problem. We also know that it has been worsened by a complex maze of jurisdiction which impedes investigations, enforcement, deterrence and recovery,” Whitmer said. “Tackling these systemic challenges will require every one of us to do our part. So much of this starts with events like this one, where we speak truth and bring light to an issue that is too often swept aside. As governor, I’ve been a staunch defender of women, children and families and today, I’m here because I see you. I understand the scale of the problem, and I will stand with you to solve it.”
Whitmer called attention to the severe lack of native-centered domestic violence shelters nationwide, with only about 60 such shelters, despite the fact that there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S.
Whitmer ended her time at the event by presenting a proclamation declaring May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day in Michigan for 2024.
“We must continue having frank, honest conversations about difficult topics,” Whitmer said. “We cannot build a brighter future without reckoning with our darker realities. Together we will increase access to justice and protect public safety.”
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The post Hundreds gather to march in Grand Rapids for missing and murdered Indigenous people appeared first on Michigan Advance.
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