Indian Affairs Secretary Josett Monette, center, talks about the department’s response to a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people on July 15. (Zoom screenshot)
The public won’t be allowed to make comments at a state-run meeting today about a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
That continues a pattern of shutting out the community, advocates say.
The Indian Affairs Department began hosting meetings early this year to update the public after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration was criticized for disbanding a task force focused on the crisis.
Some advocates say the three previous meetings haven’t allowed for back-and-forth between officials and people attending. And they want a change.
But it appears that change won’t happen at the next meeting, scheduled for today.
“No public comment at this meeting, however we intend to hold at least two listening sessions at a later date,” department spokesman Aaron Lopez wrote in an email.
A public comment period wasn’t included on the agenda for a meeting in July, either, but it was allowed during that meeting.