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On April 18, 2023, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of Directors unanimously approved Resolution 2023-159 designating May 05, 2023, as a Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives throughout our Tribal Nation:

2023 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Day of Awareness

WHEREAS, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is a federally recognized Indian Tribe organized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, 25 U.S.C 467 et seq; and

WHEREAS, since 1492, Indigenous peoples have been stereotyped, displaced, and erased due to simultaneous acts of forced colonization and systemic assimilation. Furthermore, the landmark Supreme Court decision Oliphant V. Suquamish Indian Tribe impacted the jurisdictional powers of Sovereign Tribal Nations since 1978. In part, this trifecta connects directly to the high rates of violence, poverty, homelessness, addiction, mental health, PTSD, and shortened life expectancy for our Indigenous relatives. These risk factors all intersect with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives epidemic.

WHEREAS, 84.3% of Native American and Alaskan Native Women will be victimized by a violent crime in their lifetime. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that murder is the third-leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women and that rates of violence on reservations can be up to ten times higher than the national average. (André B. Rosay, "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men," June 1, 2016, nij.ojp.gov: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/violence-against- american-indian-and-alaska-native-women-and-men)

WHEREAS, 81.6% of Native American and Alaskan Native Men will be victimized by a violent crime in their lifetime. (André B. Rosay, "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men," June 1, 2016, nij.ojp.gov: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/violence-against-american-indian-and-alaska- native-women-and-men)

WHEREAS, though it is difficult to capture accurate statistics of violent crimes committed against our 2Spirit+ relatives, we do know that 43.8% of lesbian women and 61.1% of bisexual women have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime, as opposed to 35% of heterosexual women. 26% of gay men and 37.3% of bisexual men have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, in comparison to 29% of heterosexual men. Transgender victims are more likely to experience intimate partner violence in public compared to those who do not identify as transgender. LGBTQ victims on public assistance are more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared to those who are not on public assistance. (Source: NCADV.org)

WHEREAS, The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians implemented the MMIP Tribal Community Response Plan in May 2021. The plan addresses four integrant pieces to coordinate an appropriate response when an Indigenous person goes missing within our tribal boundaries. The plan was created to be empowering to the victim(s) while being culturally honoring and trauma-informed on how to proceed if an MMIR case develops in our community.

WHEREAS, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians approved amendments to Tribal Code Chapter 70: Criminal Procedure and Tribal Code Chapter 71: Criminal Offences to implement the expanded terms of the Violence Against Women Act on September 27, 2022. This includes expanding the special criminal domestic violence jurisdiction of Tribal courts to cover non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, sex trafficking, and assaults on tribal law enforcement officers on tribal lands. The epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives is exacerbated by all of these major crimes.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, As Anishinabek people, we know that all life is sacred. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of Directors honor and recognize the importance of protecting and supporting ALL of our relatives impacted by the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians hereby designates May 05, 2023, as a Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives throughout our Tribal Nation.

2023 MMIP Day of Awareness