"Man Camps" And How They Are Contributing To The MMIW Crisis

[ismnotwasm]

The most silenced issue in North America right now is the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic. In order to truly understand the scope, intensity, and relevance of the MMIW movement, it is important to first understand the factors that bleed into it. This issue runs deep into the veins of Canada and the United States, and its origins are deeply rooted in our social and political systems. To put into perspective the severity of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, you first need to know the facts. An Indigenous woman is 10 times more likely to be murdered versus her white female counterpart. 1 in 3 Native women has been sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Over 94% of Indigenous women in Seattle have been raped or coerced into sex. According to Annita Lucchesi, who has made one of the only databases in the US that are tracking MMIW cases, the estimated number of Indigenous women in America who have gone missing or who have been murdered since 1900 is around 25,000 (Between the Lines, Huff Post). Only a fraction of those cases are solved, let alone looked at.

Of course, sexism and racism are prevalent factors in this issue. Gender-based violence is a result of misogyny and colonialism. But environmental racism plays just as an important role. It is no secret that communities of color are subject to air pollution, acid rain, and contaminated water due to the fossil fuel industry, US government, and large corporations building toxic plants near their homes that simultaneously contribute to climate change. Oil and gas pipelines have become popular in the states of North Dakota and Montana. Of course, these pipelines are built outside Native land and often on tribal land, which not only defies treaties but contaminates water sources as well. Famously, this occurred in Standing Rock, North Dakota where the Sioux tribe protested to save their land from further destruction. In response, the US government sent militarized police.

The oil and gas pipeline industry is male-dominated and what some refer to as “man camps”, are built near the construction sites. Construction workers live in these camps for months on end and earn more than the average blue-collar worker. Background checks are not run on job applicants so often sex offenders are hired without anyone ever knowing. There is a lack of law enforcement in these areas because police are stretched so thin in rural areas as it is, which allows gambling and sex trafficking to thrive. There are clear connections between the “man camps” that are being built outside Native reservations to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women cases.

https://www.unpublishedzine.com/activism-2/man-camps-and-how-they-are-contributing-to-the-mmiw-crisis

Which is of course, complicated by this:

Last week in United States v. Cooley, the U.S. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld tribal officers' authority to at least investigate and detain non-Native people they suspect of committing crimes on reservations while waiting for backup from non-tribal law enforcement.

Authority to detain only goes so far

That's exactly what Lucero did in the case of this traffic stop. But he says that authority to detain only goes so far.

"I started calling around for help and [the County Sheriff's Office] didn't even want to come out. They just flat out said they were busy," Lucero says.

The New Mexico State Police first told Lucero that they couldn't spare an officer, and later said they believed state police also lacked jurisdiction to arrest the man on tribal land.

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004328972/supreme-court-rules-tribal-police-can-detain-non-natives-but-problems-remain

[milestogo]

1. There's a Netflix film called "Wind River" on this subject

Said to be inspired by true events.

Its very good.

[Iris]

6. Just looked that up - a Harvey Weinstein production

The irony.

[EYESORE 9001]

9. I was gonna mention that movie

I remember wondering how often that scenario was being recreated wherever oil and gas operations abutted reservations.

[Irish_Dem]

11. Yes. This is an excellent movie. Absorbing and compelling drama. Highly recommended.

I started watching it because it was listed in the "Mystery" section.

But I quickly realized the story being told was based upon the reality of life for NA women.

Casting, script, acting, message all come together to produce an excellent film.

[brer cat]

2. K&R

[dflprincess]

3. A few years ago there was a young Indigenous woman who worked at the coffee shop in my neighborhood

She was here going to college but was originally from an area of North Dakota where fracking was going full blast & there were "man camps" in the area.

She told me when she went home her parents preferred she fly into Bismarck so they could meet her at the airport. When she did drive up (about 6 hours from Minneapolis) she had a spot in Fargo (a couple hours east of Bismarck) where her dad and at least one brother would meet her so they could escort her the rest of the way. When she was home, her parents did not let her out alone, brothers or dad had to drive wherever she was going & they would pick her up. She said a number of her friends had parents doing the same thing with their daughters. They would lighten up and let local young men escort them - provided they knew the familes.

[Hekate]

4. Off to the Greatest, with sorrow

[niyad]

5. and the WAR ON WOMEN continues apace. Would you consider cross-posting this in

Women's Rights And Issues? Thanks in advance.

[MustLoveBeagles]

7. K&R

[Demovictory9]

8. k&r

[tosh]

10. K&R...

and thank you.

[obamanut2012]

12. Yup, and many long-haul drivers are not vetted

Which was shocking to me when I read the excellent long form article about this by Anna Merlan a few years ago. I ahd no idea.

Linking:

https://jezebel.com/unhappy-trails-female-truckers-say-they-faced-rape-and-1725590857