‘We have a lot more work to do’: Alaska recognizes Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Native American and Alaska Native people experience rates of violent crime higher than the national average, according to the Department of the Interior.

Those numbers are even more startling in Alaska, which has the fourth-highest number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) in the country, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute.

Alaska recognizes Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day on May 5 in honor of those lost to violent crime.

“We want to uplift, we want to educate and have people understand what [MMIP] are and what this issue is,” Kendra Kloster, Co-Director of MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group explained. “But for me, it’s not just today … It’s how we do this every single day and in our lives.”

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski called MMIP Awareness Day an opportunity to honor, acknowledge, and share stories of those who have been affected by what she called an “on-going crisis”.

“We have made good progress together, largely in thanks to the advocacy of Native communities across U.S. But, we must continue to raise awareness and demand justice,” she wrote in a statement. “Our federal, state, and Tribal governments have a shared responsibility to protect Native peoples and ensure that no one is left behind.”

The Alaska Department of Public Safety said it is “relentlessly pursuing justice in MMIP investigations.”

Alaska State Trooper Deputy Director David Hanson explained that DPS has hired four investigators that are focused on MMIP cases.

“These cases will always be a priority for us,” he said. “We’re going to continue to throw some substantial resources toward these types of cases to make sure that we can get them solved.”

Last spring, the state senate passed a bill establishing a review commission to resolve MMIP cases and revised DPS requirements for handling such cases.

However, Kloster said there is still much to be done to end the “MMIP crisis.”

“We have a lot more work to do,” she explained. “Thinking about what we can do on public safety, and so we continue to advocate so we can have public safety in all our communities, making sure our communities are ready for when things do happen.”

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