>>>
>>> IT
>>> IT IS
>>> IT IS IMPORTANT, THERE'S AN IMPORTANT SORT OF WEIGHT TO
THIS STORY
THIS STORY >> ACTOR JEREMY RENNER PLAYED A
FBI AGENT JOINING FORCES WITH A
WILDLIFE OFFICER TO INVESTIGATE
THE MURDER OF A NATIVE AMERICAN
WOMAN ON THE WIND RIVER
RESERVATION IN WYOMING.
THE MOVIE TITLED "WIND RIVER"
IS FICTION BUT FOR MANY
INDIGENOUS FAMILIES THAT STORY
IS ALL TOO REAL.
WELCOME BACK.
WELCOME BACK. A BILL BEFORE THE STATE
LEGISLATURE NEARING PASSAGE
RIGHT NOW IN THE HOUSE WOULD
CREATE A STATE TASK FORCE TO
STUDY THE MURDERS OF NATIVE
AMERICAN WOMEN AND WHY SO MANY
OF THEM HAVE GONE MISSING.
THE ISSUE IS SURFACING
NATIONALLY AND THERE'S A PUSH
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON.
JENNIFER JERMAINE OF CHANDLER
SPONSORED THE BILL AND JOINS US
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. WELCOME TO "SQUAREOFF".
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> WHY IS THIS ISSUE SO
PERSONAL FOR YOU?
>> MY FATHER IS NATIVE
AMERICAN, IT'S PERSONAL TO
EVERYPERSON IN OUR STATE.
>> YET IT'S SURFACING RIGHT NOW
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
WHY IS IT HAPPENING NOW?
>> IT'S SURFACING NOW BECAUSE
WE HAVE INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN THE
HALLS OF POWER.
WE HAVE A VOICE NOW AND WE'RE
BRINGING IT TO THE FOREFRONT.
>> I SEE SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALSO
BEEN PLAYING A ROLE POSTING
IMAGES OF MISSING WOMEN AND
GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT THERE
AS WELL.
AS WELL.
AS WELL. >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> AND SO WHAT DO YOU THINK IS
GOING ON?
GOING ON?
GOING ON? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY MISSING
AND MURDERED WOMEN?
>> PART OF THE BIG PROBLEM IS
THAT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES ARE NOT TRACKING THE
DATA, SO WE DON'T HAVE A HARD
NUMBER OF WOMEN THAT ARE GOING
MISSING.
MISSING.
MISSING. ONE OF THE GOALS OF THE TASK
FORCE IS TO CREATE A DATA
STRUCTURE AND TRACKING FORMAT.
>> BASED ON THE LIMITED DATA
AVAILABLE, ARIZONA HAS ONE OF
THE HIGHER RATES IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> ARIZONA IS RANKED NO.
4 IN THE COUNTRY.
>> AND IS THIS LARGELY A
FUNCTION OF THE NUMBER OF
NATIONS IN A GIVEN STATE?
>> NOT NECESSARILY.
ARIZONA HAS 22 SOVEREIGN TRIBAL
NATIONS WITHIN OUR BORDERS BUT
REALLY IT IS -- IT'S PART OF A
PROBLEM WITH CROSS-
JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES.
JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES. >> YOU HAVE TRIBAL AUTHORITIES
AND YOU HAVE AUTHORITIES IN
ARIZONA, CITIES, STATES.
>> CITIES, COUNTIES, STATES.
>> SO WHAT MIGHT BE GOING ON?
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THIS?
>> SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE IT'S SEX
TRAFFICKING.
TRAFFICKING. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE IT IS JUST
VULNERABLE WOMEN BEING
TARGETED.
TARGETED.
TARGETED. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IT'S
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, BUT WE DON'T
HAVE THE HARD DATA WHICH IS WHY
THIS TASK FORCE IS BEING
CREATED TO GATHER THAT HARD
DATA.
DATA.
DATA. >>
DATA. >> SOME FOLKS MIGHT WONDER
THERE'S NO HARD DATA, YET WE'RE
CALLING THIS IS AN EPIDEMIC.
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
>> IT'S A SILENT EPIDEMIC.
OUR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES HAVE
KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR CENTURIES,
THEY'VE BEEN SCREAMING OUT THIS
IS HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITIES
AND WE'RE FINALLY IN THE
POSITION WHERE WE CAN FORCE
EVERYBODY TO PAY ATTENTION TO
WHAT'S HAPPENING AND TO CREATE
THOSE STRUCTURES THAT CREATES
THE DATA THAT CAN LEAD TO
LEGISLATION TO SOLVE THE
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. >> IT'S GOING FOR FINAL READ IN
THE HOUSE AND WE ARE WORKING
WITH TRIBAL LEADERS AND
GOVERNOR DUCEY'S OFFICE ON
ASSIGNING CEREMONY.
ASSIGNING CEREMONY. >> WHAT EXACTLY WOULD IT DO
HERE IN ARIZONA?
>> IT WOULD CREATE A TASK FORCE
THAT WOULD HAVE REPRESENTATIVES
FROM ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
LEVELS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AS
WELL AS SOCIAL WORK AND
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION
AND SEX TRAFFICKING PREVENTION
GROUPS TO COMB THROUGH THE
DATA, TO COMB THROUGH THE
PROSECUTIONS, TO COMB THROUGH
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO BUILD THESE
DATA BASES AND GET EVERYBODY
SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE ON
THE SAME PAGE, COLLECTING THE
SAME DATA SO WE CAN SEE TRENDS
AS THEY EMERGE.
>> WE CAN EXPECT A REPORT BY
THE END OF THE YEAR?
>> BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
IT'S A LOT OF DATA.
>> THERE'S A LOT TO GO THROUGH
AND NOT EASY TO GO THROUGH.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND A
NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK.
>> REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER
JERMAINE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US.
US.
US. >>
US. >> THANK YOU.
>>> BIG TOBACCO AND E-CIGARETTE
COMPANIES SAY THEY HAVE AN
ANSWER TO THE TEENAGE VAPORING