Toledo Proclaims May As Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Month

photo by US Health and Human Services

The Toledo City Council has formally proclaimed May as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Month, joining national and regional efforts to highlight violence against Indigenous people and the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Native community members. The proclamation was presented to council at its recent meeting by City Manager Rich Huebner, who credited Toledo city recorder Paul Johnson, for bringing the issue forward and helping develop the language.

Johnson researched and compiled wording from state and municipal examples to tailor the proclamation to Toledo. The document recognizes that American Indian and Alaska Native people, including Indigenous women, girls, men, boys, LGBTQIA2S+, transgender and gender non-conforming people, face heightened risks of murder, sexual assault, human trafficking, exploitation and abduction. It links this violence to the lasting impacts of colonization and historic government policies, and notes that these harms conflict with tribal cultural values and tribal sovereignty.

The proclamation also acknowledges that Indigenous families and communities in Oregon, including those connected to local tribal nations, continue to experience disproportionate victimization and delayed justice. It aligns Toledo with tribal, local, regional and national organizations and advocates working on MMIP, and specifically notes May 5 as a day of awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The council opened the item for public comment; no objections were raised. Council then voted unanimously to approve the proclamation. Unlike many city proclamations that are signed only by the mayor, this one includes signature lines for all councilors, signaling that it is a statement of the full governing body. The declaration calls on the community to increase awareness of MMIP, recognize the ongoing impacts on Indigenous families and tribal nations and support efforts to prevent violence and exploitation.