Work From Home

ITS A BITTER COLD MORNING IN IGNACIO, COLORADO, ON THE SOUTHERN UTE RESERVATION. COMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHER FOR A PRAYER WALK, RAISING AWARENESS AND HONORING LOVED ONES OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS RELATIVES. THIS WALK IS A POWERFUL REMINDER OF THE ONGOING CRISIS AFFECTING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, WITH MANY FAMILIES STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS. TEN YEARS, FIVE YEARS, 20 YEARS AND THEYRE STILL HOPING AND WAITING. DESPITE THE PASSAGE OF TIME, THE PAIN REMAINS FRESH AND THE PEOPLE, THE FAMILY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE HURTING THE MOST BECAUSE THEY DONT HAVE THAT CLOSURE. ACCORDING TO COLORADOS MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS RELATIVES ONLINE PORTAL, THERE ARE CURRENTLY 38 OPEN INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. SOME ARE MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATIONS, BUT A MAJORITY OF THEM 27, ARE COLD CASE HOMICIDES. WOMEN ARE GOING MISSING AT AN RATES AND NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR THEM. ACROSS THE STATE, THE CRISIS SEEMS TO BE GROWING. ADVOCATES POINT TO SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES, INCLUDING INADEQUATE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE AND LACK OF TRUST BETWEEN NATIVE COMMUNITIES AND OFFICIALS. STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TO HELP. COLORADO PASSED THE MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS RELATIVES TASK FORCE ACT. THIS CREATED THE OFFICE OF MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS RELATIVES, WHICH LAUNCHED THE PORTAL AND THE MISSING INDIGENOUS PERSON ALERT PROGRAM. LORELEI CLOUD AND VANESSA TORRES HAVE SERVED ON THE SOUTHERN UTE TRIBAL COUNCIL, WITH TORRES ONCE SERVING AS AN MURDAUGH REP FOR HER TRIBE. DAISY BLUE STAR, ALSO FROM THE SOUTHERN UTE TRIBE, SERVES ON THE TASK FORCE NOW. A LOT OF US DO COME FROM TRAUMATIC BACKGROUNDS, AND SOMETIMES THATS THE ONLY WAY YOU UNDERSTAND LIFE TO BE. BUT IT DOESNT MEAN THAT A PERSON DESERVES TO BE MURDERED OR GO MISSING AND THEN JUST BE OVERLOOKED. ADVOCATES SAY THERES STILL MUCH WORK TO BE DONE. THERES A LACK OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. THERES A LACK OF TRUST WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT. THERES ALSO A LACK OF TRUST WITHIN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY AND WITH YOUR STATE OFFICIALS AND EVEN TRIBAL OFFICIALS. THEY TELL KOAT. BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES, FAMILIES HAVE STARTED THEIR OWN INVESTIGATIONS AND SEARCHES, FROM WHAT WEVE BEEN TOLD IS THAT THERES SO MANY CASES OUT THERE, THEY CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. AND I THINK THATS WHERE THE FAMILIES COME IN AND THEY START DOING THEIR OWN BOOTS ON THE GROUND WORK, AND THEN THEY START GETTING OUT THERE. THIS PRAYER WALK HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY DRIVEN EFFORTS. MANY BELIEVE PART OF THE SOLUTION LIES RIGHT HERE. ADVOCATES SAY COMMUNITY AND FAMILY ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE NEED TO INVEST IN TO MAKE SURE THAT MORE INDIGENOUS LOVED ONES DONT DISAPPEAR OR END UP DEAD. I THINK ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IS WERE TOO AFRAID TO GET INVOLVED, AND THATS A PROBLEM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU SIT SILENT, THEN YOURE CONTRIBUTING TO THE SITUATION. JUST MAKE SURE SOMEBODY KNOWS WHERE YOURE AT AT ALL TIMES, WHETHER ITS THROUGH AN APP OR A TRUSTED FRIEND OR RELATIVE OR SOMEBODY LIKE THAT. IN IGNACIO, COLORADO, ROYALE DA KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES IN COLORADO ARE THE SOU