@tailyrirvine

May 5 is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women National Day of Awareness. As of April, in Montana, there were 166 active missing persons cases. Indigenous people account for 48 of these, or about 29%, despite comprising only 6% of the state’s population. But prosecuting crimes involving acts of violence — including murder, rape and kidnapping — committed against Indigenous people is difficult. More than 96% of such crimes are committed by non-Indigenous people, but because of the complex web of federal, state and tribal laws and jurisdictions, tribes have long lacked the authority to prosecute non-Indigenous perpetrators who commit crimes on tribal land. Instead, it’s up to federal prosecutors, who often decline to prosecute: In 2017, 37% of the cases presented to federal prosecutors in Indian Country were declined. This leaves many Indigenous victims and survivors faced with a wide disparity in justice. Read more @highcountrynews. #mmiw #montana