Oregon’s slow progress on addressing plight of missing and murdered Indigenous people

Think Out Loud

Five years ago, the Oregon state legislature passed a bill declaring missing Native American women a statewide emergency. The bill also authorized an investigation into the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and the release of a report containing recommendations to more effectively respond to it. But as reporting from InvestigateWest reveals, Indigenous activists are frustrated by the lack of progress and a lack of direct engagement by law enforcement with their communities on this issue. Meanwhile, obstacles can exist around filing reports of missing Indigenous persons and sharing information across state, federal and Tribal jurisdictions. Melanie Henshaw, the Indigenous Affairs reporter at InvestigateWest, joins us to share details of her investigation.