There’s a crisis of missing, murdered Indigenous women. Here’s what Washington plans
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office will lead a coordinated task force to assess systemic causes behind the high rates of disappearance and murders of Indigenous women in Washington, according to Wednesday news release. The 21-member task force was announced in recognition of the national Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5. The task force will include tribes, tribal organizations and local, state and federal policy makers, the release states. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald. (Inland Northwest Native News)
Washington state families celebrate progress on police reform, name future priorities
Looking back on the 2021 legislative session, family members who’ve lost loved ones to police violence in Washington state see progress toward rebuilding communities’ trust in law enforcement. Looking ahead, they see more work to do. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Sara Gentzler)
Legislature Acts To Ensure Fewer Families Will Face Forced Separations
Advocates hailed passage of House Bill 1227, called the Keeping Families Together Act, because it builds on extensive research showing that removing children from their family causes children profound harm and that children often have better outcomes over time if allowed to remain with their families. It also works to counter the extreme racism of the system: Black and Indigenous children are about twice as likely to be removed from their families as white children, according to a 2019 state analysis. Continue reading at The Seattle Medium.
Associated Press
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State task force will assess causes behind crisis of missing, murdered Indigenous women
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Broadcast
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