Not the Indian Way: Abuse Coalition Calls on MMIW to Address Plight of Murdered Fathers, Brothers, and Sons

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Not the Indian Way: Abuse Coalition Calls on MMIW to Address Plight of Murdered Fathers, Brothers, and Sons

WASHINGTON / February 9, 2022 – Each year, 105 Indian men and 34 Indian women are murdered. Males represent 75% of all Indian victims of homicide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (1). The Coalition to End Domestic Violence calls on MMIW — “Murdered and Missing Indian Women” — programs to expand their focus to be inclusive of murdered and missing Indian men.

News of a murdered and missing man is devastating to families. In 2017, Brandon Lee Sandoval disappeared from the family home on the Navajo reservation. “It’s so hard to wake up and face another day,” his mother Margaret Bitsue said, her words muffled by sobs. “I have accepted the fact he might be gone, but I still have that little hope.” (2)

Across the country, fathers, brothers, and sons vanish without a trace, usually with little awareness to the outside world:

In Alaska, Albert Scott Agathluk, 36, has been missing since 2006 (3).
In Montana, Robert Garrett Stewart, 25, disappeared without a trace four years ago (4).
In Oklahoma, David Allen Crabtree, 35, went missing from his home in Locust Grove (5).
In South Dakota, Neil Little Eagle, 49, has been missing since 2017 (6).
In Washington, Apolinar Oporto-Chacon, known to friends as “Polo,” disappeared in 2017 (7).
In Wisconsin, Daniel George Skenadore has been reported as missing since 1996 (8).

The toll of murdered or missing Indian men continues to the present time. Last month, for example, the Navajo Nation Missing Persons Updates reported on these missing men (9):

ELDON BEGAY: Eldon, 40, was last seen on January 1, 2022 on the north side of Gallup. He is 5’7″ tall and weighs about 170 lbs. He was last seen wearing a tan and black jacket and black pants. If you have seen Eldon, or if you know where he is, call Metro Dispatch at (505) 722-2002. Reference case # 22-1763.
MYRON GARCIA: Myron, 34, was last seen on January 10, 2022. He is 5’7″ tall and weighs about 190 lbs. He may be wearing a camouflage hoodie and black pants. If you have seen Myron, or if you know where he is, call Metro Dispatch at (505) 722-2002. Reference case # 22-1301.

But inexplicably, MMIW advocates ignore the existence of murdered and missing Indian men. Erasing the plight of the 105 Indian men who are murdered each year is not the Indian way. A wise Comanche proverb counsels, “All who have died are equal.” (10)

A Voice of America News article asked, “Are Missing and Murdered Indigenous Men in US Being Ignored?” (11) Commentator Wendy McElroy has noted that the MMIW movement represents a “parody of human rights in which only approved groups are recognized as victims….Only those who share the secondary characteristic of approved genitalia receive compassion.” (12)

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