Amid ongoing concerns about missing and murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP), Arizona’s Democratic state legislators recently gathered insights from families and advocates at a town hall meeting. With the legislative session approaching, the event aimed to shed light on the challenges faced by the Indigenous community.
Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales (D-Tucson), chair of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus and a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, emphasized the limits of the meeting. “We will not have solutions for you today,” she stated. Legislators, including Reps. Brian Garcia (D-Tempe) and Mae Peshlakai (D-Cameron), dedicated three hours to hearing from participants.
Reva Stewart, a Diné and founder of Turtle Island Women Warriors, expressed frustration, stating, “Listening without action has become a pattern. Legislation without enforcement is not protection. Task forces without authority or accountability are not solutions. Meetings without funding are not justice.” She highlighted the repetitive trauma families endure when sharing their experiences without seeing results.
Chelsa Seciwa, a Zuni volunteer victims advocate, echoed these sentiments, voicing her dissatisfaction with the MMIP task force initiated by Gov. Katie Hobbs in March 2023. While she appreciates its intent, Seciwa argued that families have been misled, with task force representatives claiming they don’t provide “direct service.”
“Grassroots advocates are already doing this work. We are the moccasins in the ground. We are answering those late-night calls,” Seciwa stated. “We are showing up to the hospitals and funeral homes without any funding or support. Yet public dollars continue to fund offices that are not providing direct services.”
Roxanne Barley from the Cocopah Indian Tribe highlighted changes to the state’s Turquoise Alert system, created to inform the public about Indigenous disappearances. Named after Emily, a San Carlos Apache teen who vanished from a group home, the alert system faced criticism when it was first used in July.
Despite the intent, the system has issued five alerts this year, with only one for a Native American: Maria Acedo, a 17-year-old from Yuma, who was found safe. Barley voiced disappointment, saying, “That was the lie that we were promised, that was the hoax that we were told.“ Meanwhile, Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, Diné and chair of the governor’s MMIP task force, explained the complexities involved, noting, “And that is the ugly truth of politics.“
This story was produced by KJZZ, the NPR station in Phoenix, and published by KNAU as part of the Arizona Public Media Exchange.
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