Washington takes this step in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People task force
Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced the formation of the team that will lead the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People task force Thursday, Aug. 12. Legislative appointments to the team of tribes and tribal organizations, state and local policymakers are expected later this month.
“This exceptional team will be crucial to the work of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force,” Ferguson said in a news release. “They are ready to get to work. Tribal communities have experienced disproportionate violence for too long. This announcement is an important step forward in addressing systemic inequities and improving our state’s response.”
The 21-person task force will assess systemic causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of Indigenous women and people and produce two reports to the Governor and Legislature in August 2022 and June 2023.
Ferguson announced the task force staff as well, including U.S. Army Veteran and Attorney General’s Office Tribal Liason Asa K. Washines from the Yakama Nation and Attorney General’s Office Senior Policy and External Affairs Manager Ellen Austin Hall.
Also announced as a member of the task force staff was Annie Forsman-Adams from the Suquamish Tribe, who since 2011 has been addressing violence and victimization in Indigenous communities. Forsman-Adams began her career advocating against domestic violence and sexual assault on her own reservation and worked at the Washington State Native American Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Assault for five years.
“I’m really encouraged by the way the task force is organized and the structure within the Attorney General’s office — with my position being 100% devoted to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People cause,” Forsman-Adams said. “That shows a lot of commitment from the AG in wanting to bridge gaps with tribes and urban Native communities as we devote resources, devote time and devote energy.”
She is hopeful that the inclusive task force will elevate voices affected by this violence and increase the government-to-government relationship between Washington state and tribes, setting a precedent for the country.
Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee established May 5 as Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Day citing statistics that found Indigenous women go missing and are murdered at rates higher than any other ethnic group in the country. According to the National Center for Disease Control, homicide is a leading cause of death for Indigenous women and girls, who are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault.
Though an accurate count of how many Indigenous women are affected is difficult, Gov. Inslee’s proclamation noted that nearly half of all Indigenous women have been raped, beaten or stalked by an intimate partner.
Since October 2019, Ferguson began gathering federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to discuss how to address the crisis. The task force will build on these conversations and other state efforts with appointees from federally recognized tribes, each of the four legislative caucuses, the Seattle Indian Health Board, various Indigenous-led health and community organizations, law enforcement agencies and legal associations. The task force will also include two Indigenous women or family members of Indigenous women who have experienced gender-based violence.
The appointment process is underway for the task force members. The task force will begin meeting before the end of the year at a date to be determined.
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Natasha Brennan covers Washington state tribes’ impact on our local communities, environment and politics, as well as traditions, culture and equity issues, for McClatchy media companies in Bellingham, Olympia, Tacoma and Tri-Cities.
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This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Washington takes this step in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People task force."
