City of Fresno MMIW Proclamation
Resolution recognizing May 5 as the national day of awareness for Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW/R).
WHEREAS, Indigenous people have inhabited the North American continent, including the State of California and its Central Valley, since time immemorial, and from the first contact with settlers from other countries, California Native Americans shared their knowledge of the land, waters, and sustainable lifeways that have and continue to play a vital role in the development of local communities, the State of California, and the Nation; and
WHEREAS, California Native peoples have survived three waves of colonization and attempts at genocide beginning with Spanish missionization, and again sparked by the Gold Rush (1848) and California statehood (1850). In the Central Valley Tribal people were forcibly removed from their homelands and relocated by miners, settlers, and legislators who exercised ideologies rooted in supremacy and dominion for the purpose of gaining rights to exploitative resource extraction targeting water, land, and women/girls; and
WHEREAS, The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Report from the Urban Indian Health Institute, released in 2019, provides data on MMIWG; recognizes factors including, poor data collection by law enforcement and limited management of health resources for Native Americans, reveals that there is an undercount of MMIW in urban areas; and finds that California ranks 5th among States with highest number of MMIW cases; and
WHEREAS, The 2009 Apology to Native People of the U.S. issued by the 111th Congress (2009 - 2010) recognized the special legal and political relationship Native American Tribes have with the United States and the solemn covenant with the land we share; recognized that there have been years of official depredation, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the Federal Government regarding Native American Tribes; apologized on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States; and
WHEREAS, in the State of California in 2019 Governor Newsom signed an executive order formally apologizing to California’s Native Americans for historical mistreatment, violence and neglect. The Governor established a Truth and Healing Council to provide California Native Americans a platform to speak openly about the historical record and work collaboratively with the State to begin the healing process; and WHEREAS, The City of Fresno has taken progressive steps in restoration of Native American traditions and policies such as legislating Indigenous People's Day and supporting the urban Indian organization Fresno American Indian Health Project; and WHEREAS, The City of Fresno has a responsibility to address the disproportionate rates of victimization of Native American and all Indigenous women, girls and relatives, included those in urban Indian communities from domestic and sexual violence, including MMIW/R; and
WHEREAS, Bessie Renne Walker (Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians) was missing for 18 days when she was found murdered on August 21st 2021 at the age of 27. Bessie was a beloved community member, an active mother, and good relative Bessies’ case is still unsolved and she is not forgotten; and WHEREAS, Organizations dedicated to documenting and monitoring MMIW, such as Indigenous Justice, continue to face challenges with institutions in local jurisdictions; record-keeping and cooperation, including the Fresno Sheriff Department, and specifically, in the case of Bessie Walker; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, the grassroots movement for the safety of Indigenous women led the struggle to include Title IX: Safety for Indian Women under the Violence Against Women Act. One of the findings of this title was that during the period of 1979 through 1992, homicide was the third-leading cause of death of Native American women aged 15 to 34; and
WHEREAS, Since that time, a study by the U.S. Department of Justice has found that in some tribal communities, Native American women face murder rates that are more than ten times the national average; and
WHEREAS, Over the last decade awareness of this national issue has increased but police, political and medical responsiveness remains significantly lower than the crisis requires to stop the disappearances of Native American women and girls and save lives; and
WHEREAS, May 5, 2017, was designated as the first national day of awareness for Honoring MMIW/R, May 2023 the State of California acknowledged May to be MMIW/R Awareness month through the passage of ACR 25, both were designated through the efforts of surviving families, Native American tribes, national Indigenous organizations, and law and policy makers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the City of Fresno permanently designates May 5 as Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Day of Action in the City of Fresno; and, the City of Fresno permanently designates May to be MMIW/R Awareness month, and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City of Fresno will enter into discussions with local Native American organizations, Central Valley Native American Tribes as recognized as belonging to this region, including but not limited to Yokuts, Mono, Choinumni, Chukchansi, Dumna, Wuksachi, Wukchumni, and Tachi; local and regional tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations including but not limited to FAIHP, Indigenous Justice, North Fork Rancheria Tribal TANF and OVCDC to develop recommendations for local and indigenous victim advocacy services, local and tribal justice responses in accordance with California SB 1314 Feather Alert (2022), including coordination of responses to reports of missing Indigenous persons; identify and implement solutions to strengthen the safety, health, and well-being of indigenous women; and, prioritizing prevention, community investment, and cultural revitalization.