The Klamath Tribes Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Committee held a gathering this week for families and friends of victims, while advocates say they plan to call for a bill that would create a statewide alert for tribal members in danger.
Similar notifications exist in neighboring states, such as California’s Feather Alert, and are modeled after the AMBER Alert for missing children.
Thursday’s event was held at the Klamath Tribes Administration Auditorium ahead of the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.
Carolina McCormick, the Klamath Tribes Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Coordinator, said violence against one member can affect the whole community.
“We are very connected with each other, it's a small community,” she said. “When something happens to one, it happens to all of us.”
She said the committee was created by members who had loved ones who had been murdered.
While awareness of violence targeting Native Americans has grown, she wants community members to continue to speak out.
“We are tired of staying quiet,” McCormick said. “We want the world to know that we have [missing and murdered indigenous people] and we want justice for those that we have lost.”
McCormick said she works with tribal victims of violence, offering financial help, mental health support and legal guidance.
Data on murdered and missing indigenous people can be unreliable due to racial misclassification by authorities or underreporting.
In 2021, a federal report found 11 active missing cases and eight active murder cases in Oregon. That was the last time data was compiled.
“A lot of people go by statistics. We don't go by that,” McCormick said. “We go by those loved ones that we have missed.”
