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What is the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Crisis, and how does it relate to offshore wind?

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Crisis is an ongoing public health crisis facing Indigenous People across the United States. Today, Native American people face disproportionate rates of violence (1) across the United States. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five Native American women have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1% who have experienced sexual violence (2). Tragically, many MMIP cases go unsolved. The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that there are currently 4,200 unsolved MMIP cases (3) across the country. California ranks fifth in the nation (4) for MMIP cases, and a 120-year survey (4) of California MMIP cases found that one in five of the State's cases are from Humboldt County.


Here on the North Coast, the case of Emmilee Risling (5) is emblematic of the crisis. Emmilee is a Yurok Tribal member who grew up in Mckinleyville and is a mother of two. Emmilee went missing in October 2021 on the Yurok Reservation and has not been seen since. Emmilee’s family feels that law enforcement has given up (5). Emmilee is one of many (6) Tribal members missing on the North Coast.

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Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls (MMIWG) 2023 National Statistics.

Source: National Criminal Justice Training Center (7)

Of particular concern related to offshore wind is the fact that incidents of MMIP have been correlated with past development booms. To take one recent case study, during the Bakken Oil Boom beginning around 2006, production of oil increased dramatically on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, and transient oil workers built “man camps” and temporary housing on the reservation while they worked the oil fields. These “man camps” were not well-regulated by the oil companies or law enforcement, and were mostly inhabited by out-of-the-area, single men, many of whom had well-known substance abuse problems. The construction of these “man camps” caused incidents of MMIP on the reservation to increase dramatically; over just a two-year period, the Tribe’s court system saw its caseload grow by over 2,000% (8). During the same time period, there was no increase in crime outside of the oil-producing region.

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There is concern that the offshore wind industry, like oil or any other new industry, will bring many new workers to our region and have a similar corresponding impact on rates of MMIP. To combat this problem, in June 2023, the Yurok Tribal Court published recommendations (9) to avoid increasing incidents of MMIP as the offshore wind industry develops in Humboldt County. The report includes 16 common sense recommendations including a local hiring preference, background checks on employees, and coordination with law enforcement. In response and with the support of the Yurok Tribe, on May 9, 2024, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District passed Resolution No. 2024-04 (10) committing itself to obligating terminal project developers and directing contractors to perform many of the recommendations. The resolution includes many of the measures specifically recommended by the Yurok Tribe to prevent instances of MMIP.

​References

  1. Association on American Indian Affairs. (n.d.). Violence Against Native Peoples. www.indian-affairs.org/violenceagainstnatives.html 

  2. Rosay, A.B. (2016). Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men. National Institute of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/violence-against-american-indian-and-alaska-native-women-and-men 

  3. U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. (n.d.). Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Crisis: Violence Against Native Americans and Alaska Natives far exceed national averages. www.bia.gov/service/mmu/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis 

  4. Abinanti, A., et al. (2020, July). To’Kee Skuy’Soo Ney-Wo-Chek’: I Will See You Again in A Good Way: A Year 1 Project Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People in Northern California. Sovereign Bodies Institute. https://yuroktribalcourt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/To-Kee-Skuy-Soo-Ney-Wo-Chek-Y1-FINAL.pdf 

  5. Cook, E. (2023, April 17). ‘Where is Emmilee Risling?’ Missing, murdered Indigenous women cases hampered by 50s-era law. CBS News. www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/emmilee-risling-unseen-indigenous-women-missing-murdered-california-native-american-yurok/ 

  6. Wiley, H. (2023, March 14). Her mother disappeared. Then her babysitter. A lawman fears she might be next. Los Angeles Times. www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-14/native-americans-tribes-california-missing-women-girls 

  7. National Criminal Justice Training Center. (2024). Infographic for 2024 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls (MMIWG). https://ncjtc.fvtc.edu/resources/RS02402203/2024-missing-and-murdered-native-women-and-girls-d 

  8. Finn, K., et al. (2017). Responsible Resource Development and Prevention of Sex Trafficking: Safeguarding Native Women and Children on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Harvard Journal of Law & Gender, 40. https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/articles/629 

  9. Katcher, K. and Abinanti, A. (2023, June 21). How to Protect Native Women, Girls, and People in Humboldt & Del Norte County as Offshore Wind Enters the Region: MMIP Prevention Planning and Recommendations. Lost Coast Outpost. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/loco-media/loco-media/blog/post/37499/How%2Bto%2BPrevent%2BMMIP%2Band%2BProtect%2BNative%2BWomen%2BGirls%2Band%2BPeople%2Bin%2BHumboldt%2B%2BDel%2BNorte%2BCounty%2Bas%2BMajor%2BDevelopment%2BProjects%2BCome%2BInto%2Bthe%2BRegion27%2B%2528002%2529.pdf 

  10. Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District. (2024, May 9). Resolution No. 2024-04: A Resolution Affirming the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District’s Commitment to the Prevention of Sex Trafficking and “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People” in Association with the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project. https://humboldtbay.org/sites/humboldtbay.org/files/Resolution%202024-04%20Affiring%20Committment%20to%20the%20Prevention%20of%20Sex%20Trafficking%20and%20MMIP_SIGNED.pdf

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