Missoula proclaims Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People awareness day; community advocate urges justice and sovereignty

Mayor Andrea Davis read a proclamation on May 5 recognizing May as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) awareness month and asked a community advocate to speak.

Joni Kickingwoman, who identified herself as working in the Community Justice Division and the crime victim advocate program focusing on MMIWP, told the council: "This is not an epidemic. It's a system." She described the crisis as rooted in colonization and federal policy, saying jurisdictional confusion has left tribal nations with limited prosecutorial authority and survivors without justice.

Kickingwoman said that indigenous women experience disproportionately high levels of violence and that Montana ranks among the states with the highest rates of missing and murdered indigenous people. She urged the council and the community to support tribal sovereignty, strengthen prosecution, expand survivor services, provide cultural competency training and address housing and other inequities that compound vulnerability.

Councilor Jordan thanked Kickingwoman for emphasizing jurisdictional confusion and agreed that Indian law's jurisdictional complexity contributes to high rates of violence against Native women. Mayor Davis and other council members expressed solidarity and noted ongoing partnerships with tribal and regional stakeholders.

Ending: The proclamation was read into the record and the council joined in allyship with the movement and local advocates; staff and council members expressed intent to continue working with tribal partners and victim-advocate programs.