Saying that there is “still so much more to do,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland vowed to continue prioritizing efforts to combat the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis. Initiatives include the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) MMIP Regional Outreach Program which places attorneys and coordinators in regions across the U.S. to help prevent and respond in MMIP cases. And during a visit to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, Garland announced that, based on the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations, DOJ is working to improve funding, enhance research to better trace underlying causes, and develop guidance on engaging the public when someone is reported missing. “Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice,” Garland said in highlighting some of the efforts on National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day in May. “This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and be true partners with Tribal communities.”
Indigenous female motorcyclists continue to rev up their engines—as well as their messaging—to raise awareness about the high rate of missing and murdered girls and women in Native American communities. This past July, the Medicine Wheel Ride motorcycle group from Phoenix partnered with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in Santa Barbara County, California, for a “We Ride for Her” event. Organized through the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic, the event featured a screening of the “We Ride for Her” documentary highlighting the motorcycle group’s work, which includes fundraising, assisting advocates searching for missing Native American girls and women, and raising awareness through annual rallies and rides. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians remains the only federally recognized Chumash Tribe in the nation.