MMIW: New Mexico Groups Pit Women Against Men, Recall Worst Atrocities of the Past

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

MMIW: New Mexico Groups Pit Women Against Men, Recall Worst Atrocities of the Past

WASHINGTON / February 3, 2022 – On Friday, February 4, a march for “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives” will be held on Santa Fe, New Mexico (1). The march will not be highlighting the plight of male victim Myron Garcia of Gallup, who disappeared on January 10. Or Eldon Begay, last seen on January 1. Or Jevon Descheenie of Shiprock, whose body was found on November 12 (2).

The February 4 march, which begins at noon, is being sponsored by an organization called Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA (3). The group’s web page states it wants to “prevent MMIW and stop it in its tracks, for good.” MMIW is an acronym for “Missing and Murdered Indian Women.”

As suggested by its name, the MMIW movement excludes consideration of murdered males, who represent the vast majority — 75% — of all American Indian victims of homicide. Each year, 105 Indian men and 34 Indian women are murdered, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (4).

As a result of persistent efforts of MMIW groups, a report was issued in 2020 to address “New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives.” (5) Last October, a task force recommended the establishment of a state office to ”organize state efforts and collect much-needed data on missing and murdered Indigenous women.”(6) And in December, the Bernalillo County District Attorney signed a memorandum of understanding to form a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) Task Force (7).

But nothing about missing and murdered indigenous men, an exclusion that appears to violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Some persons may think that the exclusion is justified because several other organizations must be addressing the problem of murdered and missing Indian men. But an internet search reveals no such groups exist in New Mexico, or anywhere else in the United States.

Many persons who believe in the cause of gender fairness say depriving a victim group of media attention or legislative consideration on the basis of sex is just the latest example of neo-sexism.

Others would go further and say that pitting women against men only serves to weaken the extended Indian family, which for many is their sole refuge during times of economic want and social upheaval.

And some would point out that erasing the existence of murdered Indian men recalls the most horrific civil rights abuses in New Mexico history. In 1598, Juan de Onate put down a revolt at Acoma Pueblo by amputating the foot of Acoma men. In 1675, Gov. Juan Trevino sentenced four medicine men to death by hanging. These incidents, as well the demands of forced labor by Indian men, gave rise to the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 (8). In each of these cases, the lives of Indian men counted for less.

On Friday, February 4, the same theme will echo in the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico: The lives of American Indian men count for less.

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