Task force on missing and murdered indigenous people starts next month
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Monday that the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force will hold its first meeting, co-hosted with the Yakama Nation, on Thursday, Dec. 2 and Friday, Dec. 3.
The meeting will be open to the public and will include an opportunity for people to provide comments. The Attorney General’s Office will announce more information closer to the event, including an agenda and a link to attend the meeting virtually.
“The rates of violence against Indigenous women and people are unacceptable,” Ferguson said. “Our work to address this problem must reflect the needs and values of Indigenous communities. This task force is an important step forward in achieving justice for people who have experienced violence. It reaffirms our office’s commitment to racial equity, social justice and strengthening our government-to-government relationship with Washington’s tribal nations.”
The Washington Legislature created the task force as part of the effort to coordinate a statewide response to the urgent crisis of Indigenous people who go missing, are the victims of homicide or experience other types of gender-based violence in urban and tribal communities.
