SENATE MEMORIAL 38

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

John Pinto

A MEMORIAL

SUPPORTING UNITED STATES CONGRESSWOMAN DEB HAALAND'S CALL FOR A NATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS.

     WHEREAS, the alarming number of indigenous women and girls who disappear or are murdered each year is a national disgrace; and

     WHEREAS, four out of five Native American women are affected by violence today; and

     WHEREAS, the United States department of justice found that Native American women face murder rates that are more than ten times the national average; and

     WHEREAS, out of seventy-one cities in the country, the city of Albuquerque has one of the highest numbers of urban Native American women and girls who have been reported missing or murdered, according to a recently published report by the urban Indian health institute; and

     WHEREAS, in urban New Mexico, which includes Albuquerque, Farmington, Gallup and Santa Fe, seventy-eight women and girls have been reported missing or murdered since 1956, making New Mexico the state with the highest instance of violence in the urban demographic; and

     WHEREAS, the urban Indian health institute reported that the challenges and barriers in accessing data on this issue from law enforcement severely impede the ability of communities, tribal nations and policymakers to make informed decisions on how best to address the violence; and

     WHEREAS, no federal agency has comprehensive data on how many indigenous women and girls are murdered or missing; and

     WHEREAS, the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls is a priority of Congresswoman Deb Haaland, a Pueblo of Laguna tribal member, who represents New Mexico's first congressional district in the United States house of representatives; and

     WHEREAS, Congresswoman Haaland is one of two of the first Native American women to be elected to congress; and

     WHEREAS, Congresswoman Haaland describes the number of missing and murdered indigenous women as an epidemic and has stated that she plans to seek justice for these women at the national level; and

     WHEREAS, Congresswoman Haaland noted that missing and murdered indigenous women is a significant issue in Indian country, but that women care about the issue all over the country; and

     WHEREAS, missing and murdered indigenous women and children are not just statistics and numbers; they are someone's child, or sister, or auntie or mother;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that United States Congresswoman Deb Haaland be supported in her call for a national investigation of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to Congresswoman Deb Haaland, the mayors of Albuquerque, Farmington, Santa Fe, Gallup and Las Cruces and the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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