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>>> WELCOME BACK, WE BEGIN WITH A KING 5 SPECIAL REPORT, THE
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL IS
TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A
PROBLEM THAT TOUCHES MANY
NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILIES.
THEY WANT TO KNOW IF THE STATE
SHOULD DO MORE TO ADDRESS A
CRISIS OF MISSING AND MURDERED
NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN.
WE EXPLAIN WHAT THAT EFFORT
LOOKS LIKE TONIGHT.>> SOME
PEOPLE ARE CALLING IT AN
EPIDEMIC, THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY
NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN GO MISSING
OR ARE MURDERED AT RATES HIGHER
THAN THE REST OF THE
POPULATION.
POPULATION. THE WASHINGTON STATE PATROL HAS
BEEN TRAVELING THE STATE,
MEETING WITH TRIBES, ASKING FOR
THEIR STORIES, AND THEY ARE
LEARNING, THERE ARE SOME
PROBLEMS WITH HOW LAW
ENFORCEMENT TRACKS MISSING
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. EARTH FEATHER IS AMONG A
GENERATION OF YOUNGER NATIVE
AMERICAN WOMEN TRYING TO BRING
ATTENTION TO A PROBLEM WHICH
HAUNTS MANY WASHINGTON STATE
TRIBES.>> I WOULD SAY EVERYBODY
KNOWS SOMEBODY WHO HAS GONE
MISSING OR BEEN MURDERED.
>> NOW THE WASHINGTON STATE
PATROL IS LOOKING INTO THE
ISSUE.
ISSUE.
ISSUE. >>
ISSUE. >> I WANT TO HEAR THOSE
STORIES, WE WANT TO HEAR THAT
INFORMATION, AND THEN WE WANT
TO SEE, HOW CAN WE DIRECT, HOW
CAN WE HELP, WHERE DO WE START?
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU
FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO BE
HEARD.>> SHE IS ON A FACT-
FINDING MISSION WHICH IS TAKING
HER ACROSS THE STATE.
IN OCTOBER, A CROWD GATHERED AT
SNOQUALMIE CASINO.
SNOQUALMIE CASINO. AND CHELSEA HENDERSON, WHOSE
AUNT WAS KILLED MONTHS AGO.>>
UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS A COMMON
STORY ACROSS COMMUNITIES, AND
WE'VE BEEN NATIVE WOMEN
SOCIETIES.
SOCIETIES. >> ONE ISSUE THAT KEEPS COMING
UP IS THAT THERE ARE GAPS IN
THE VARIOUS DATABASES USED TO
TRACK MISSING PEOPLE.
>> THE NUMBERS AND THE MAINS
NAMES ARE NOT WITH THE RECORDS
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
>> THEY WILL NEVER TALK TO EACH
OTHER AT THIS POINT.
WITH TECHNOLOGY THE WAY IT IS.
>> STATE OFFICIALS SAY MOST
TRIBES DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE
NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION
CENTER.
CENTER.
CENTER. THE FBI DATABASE THAT VIRTUALLY
EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
USES TO TRACK CASES, AS A
RESULT, POLICE SEARCHING THAT
DATABASE OFTEN WILL NOT FIND
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
WHETHER SOMEBODY WITH TIES TO A
TRIBE IS MISSING.>> THAT IS ONE
HUGE THING THAT IS MISSING.
>> THIS STARTED AFTER THE
LEGISLATOR PASSED A BILL
DIRECTING THE STATE PATROL TO
LOOK INTO THESE QUESTIONS.
A GROWING NUMBER OF NATIVE
WOMEN SPOKE UP AND DEMANDED
ACTION.
ACTION.
ACTION. >> THIS AFFECTS US ALL.
SO WE ARE TRYING TO COME
TOGETHER TO BRING A RESOLUTION
TO HELP PROTECT OUR PEOPLE
BETTER.
BETTER.
BETTER. >> SHE WAS TRAFFICKED BY A GANG
IN OREGON IN THE 90s AND WAS
ONLY ABLE TO ESCAPE BECAUSE
FRIENDS RESCUED HER.
THEY DID NOT INVOLVE THE
POLICE.>> A LOT OF US FEEL
HOPELESS THAT OUR VOICES WILL
BE HEARD.
BE HEARD.
BE HEARD. >> SHE SAYS THAT IS CHANGING
NOW THAT OTHERS ARE RAISING
THEIR VOICES AND STATE
AUTHORITIES ARE LISTENING.>>
HAVING THIS DIALOGUE IS SO VERY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. >> CAPTAIN ALEXANDER HAS A JUNE
DEADLINE TO REPORT BACK TO THE
LEGISLATURE ON WHAT SHE HAS
LEARNED.
LEARNED.
LEARNED. MEMBERS HOPE THAT WILL SPUR
EVEN MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
HOW TO CONFRONT THE CRISIS.
>> I THINK WE ARE BEING HEARD,
I THINK THE CONCERN IS ALWAYS,
WILL THERE BE NEXT STEPS?
>> MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT WAITING
FOR THE STATE TO TAKE ACTION,
THEY STARTED FACEBOOK PAGES
WITH FOLLOWERS WHERE THEY CAN
POST ABOUT MISSING AND MURDERED
PEOPLE, SEEKING TIPS.
AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, IN
WASHINGTON, THERE IS NO
COMPREHENSIVE DATA COLLECTION
SYSTEM FOR REPORTING OR
TRACKING MISSING NATIVE
AMERICAN WOMEN.
AMERICAN WOMEN. THAT IS SOMETHING THEY SAY THEY
SHOULD BE WORKING ON.>> FROM
THE LOOKS OF IT, THERE IS SOME
OPTIMISM.
OPTIMISM.
OPTIMISM. THEY ARE HOPEFUL.
A LOT OF TRIBES HAVE REASON TO
MISTRUST THE POLICE AND STATE
AGENCIES.
AGENCIES.
AGENCIES. HISTORICALLY.
HISTORICALLY. BUT, I