A report that highlighted the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people was removed from several federal websites last month, to the disappointment of some Alaska Native advocates.
The final report by the Not Invisible Act Commission was a joint effort of the U.S. Justice and the Interior departments completed in November 2023. It focused on the disproportionate rates of assault and murder in Indigenous communities across the country – as well as unique issues faced by Alaska Native people. President Trump signed the law that mandated the report during his first term.
In February, the report’s authors and advocates noticed that the link had been deleted from several federal websites, including the Department of Justice website. The reason for the removal wasn't immediately clear, though some federal agencies have acknowledged scrubbing material to comply with Trump's executive orders to remove "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility policies."
Michelle Demmert, a longtime tribal judge and the University of Alaska Fairbanks professor, was one of the report’s commissioners. Demmert, who is Tlingit and Haida and a member of the Klawock tribe, said she was deeply disappointed with its removal.
“It's like a slap in the face,” she said. “It just really saddens me to have the report removed like it doesn't even exist.”
Over 18 months, the commission heard from people across the country, including in Anchorage, Bethel and Emmonak. Those stories were included in the final report.
Demmert said that more people showed up in Alaska than in other areas.
“People traveled far and wide to come give testimony about situations that involve their loved ones,” she said. “They trusted us with their stories, even though it was painful for them to have to retell these stories. But they felt like this might be the one opportunity that someone hears them and takes action, and for that to not have happened in any meaningful manner is really disappointing.”
Charlene Aqpik Apok, the executive director of the non-profit Data for Indigenous Justice, attended the commission hearing that was held in Anchorage. She said she liked that the commission did not limit the time for comments, allowing people to share their stories without interruption.
Apok also said she appreciated the report’s specific recommendations for Alaska. She said they spoke to historic violence against Alaska Native women, the landscape and structure of rural communities, and challenges with legal and public safety systems.
“They saw how Alaska stood out,” she said. “They had to make different recommendations that were situated for us.”
Apok, who is Iñupiaq, said she found it unsettling that the report was deleted from several websites, but she doesn’t want people to be discouraged. She said that organizations like Data for Indigenous Justice will continue to document and track cases of violence against Indigenous people in Alaska.
“We still know what was said,” she said. “We still know our stories, and they can't take that away from us. Our knowledge and our truth is something that cannot be erased.”
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