Organizers behind Sing Our Rivers Red urge stronger cross‑jurisdiction response to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives

Jody Bershey, an assistant professor at New Mexico Highlands University, and Shareena Baker, a University of New Mexico Ph.D. student, told a New Mexico Courts Access to Justice webinar that community organizers and campus groups in Albuquerque are working to fill gaps left by law enforcement, public agencies and interrupted statewide efforts to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR).

The pair — who represent the Albuquerque chapter of Sing Our Rivers Red — summarized years of local events, student projects, collaborations with advocacy groups and outreach intended to raise awareness, provide culturally rooted victim supports and press for clearer cross‑jurisdictional investigations. “Justice delayed is justice denied. The time for empty promises is over,” Baker said, reading a slogan the organizers use at events.

Why it matters: presenters said MMIWR cases too often fall into jurisdictional and administrative gaps that leave families waiting years for investigations or with no federal involvement. The presenters cited federal and local obstacles — from which authorities prosecute to how evidence and paperwork move between offices — and urged stronger coordination and…