Tribal Leaders Should Demand That PBS ‘Documentary’ Address Plight of Missing and Murdered Indian Men

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Tribal Leaders Should Demand That PBS ‘Documentary’ Address Plight of Missing and Murdered Indian Men

WASHINGTON / March 18, 2022 – Far more Indian men than Indian women are reported as missing and murdered, according to government reports. But sadly, Public Broadcasting Corporation of Minnesota is planning to broadcast a “documentary” that excludes consideration of missing and murdered Indian males. The Coalition to End Domestic Violence calls on PBS to devote long-overdue attention to the greater problem of missing and murdered men and boys.

Missing: The FBI “Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics” for 2020 reports the following counts for missing American Indians (1): Males: 918; Females: 578

Murdered: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, males represent 75% of all Indian victims of homicide (2).

Ignoring these well-established facts, the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Minnesota is planning to broadcast a “documentary” on March 21 that ignores the plight of missing and murdered men.

Titled “Bring Her Home” (3), the hour-long film provides no mention of the fact that men and boys represent the majority of missing and murdered indigenous persons. Instead, men are depicted as perpetrators, with the comment that society must “reteach men how to be in a relationship with women.” But arguably, the persons who most need to be “retaught” are the advocates who refuse to acknowledge the existence of missing and murdered men.

In testimony at a recent House hearing, former federal Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney revealed, “It was also during those sessions we heard Tribal and community leaders stress that this crisis also affected Native American men and boys [emphasis in the original], which is why our efforts focused on the larger Native American community.” (4)

By skirting key facts, creating false stereotypes, and preying on viewers’ emotions, Bring Her Home does a disservice to Native American communities that are searching for practical and effective solutions to the vexing problem of missing and murdered Indians (5).

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