“You’re not going to silence me.” Law enforcement’s intentional neglect of violence against Native American women needs to be addressed

With Native American Heritage Month smoothly underway, it’s important that we continue to acknowledge not only the culture and heritage of Native peoples but also the injustice they face when it comes to law enforcement and government involvement. The mission of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) is to do just that: to provide “national leadership to end violence against American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian women by supporting culturally grounded, grassroots advocacy.” The Native-led nonprofit works to end gender-based violence in tribal communities through advocacy, tribal policy development, technical assistance, and by offering authentic resources.

A way they bring their mission to life is through their podcast “Speaking Our Truth, Podcast for Change.” The specific episode that caught my eye is “Kaysera, Four Years Later” detailing the story of Kaysera. Kaysera Stops Pretty Places, a Native girl of the Crow tribe in Big Horn County, Montana, would have been 22 years old this August of 2023. But instead, the month marked four years since her tragic death. Her family reported her missing on August 24th, 2019, and though her body was found five days later, they weren’t notified for another two weeks. Listening to the episode, led by NIWRC communications specialist Liane Pippin, I learned about how law enforcement never conducted a proper investigation of her death.

Sadly, this is the case for many Native American deaths, says Kaysera’s family. Law enforcement such as the Montana Department of Justice and even the FBI don’t prioritize Native people, often listing their deaths as suicide, overdose, or other reasons that don’t require further investigation. In fact, law enforcement told the family that Kaysera’s death was drug-induced, even though the autopsy report only showed ethanol levels that multiple medical examiners did not find to be a serious concern.

Though law enforcement neglected a productive investigation, Kaysera’s family has taken matters into their own hands since then. Taking from the Justice for Kaysera website, they have held events to promote community advocacy and acknowledgment of the shameful disregard of Native women’s lives, demanding the Montana Department of Justice and FBI take action not only for Kaysera but for other Native girls in the area.

Organizations like NIWRC and Justice for Kaysera are trailblazers in the fight against law enforcement’s neglect of the horrendous crimes committed against Native communities.