City of Fife declares May 5 ‘Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day’

MMwip group photo

By Puyallup Tribal News staff

The Fife City Council unanimously proclaimed May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, the second year it has passed such a proclamation. Puyallup Tribal Councilwoman Anna Bean, center, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Tribe during the city council meeting on April 23.

Councilwoman Bean (holding the plaque) is a member of the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force’s Executive Committee. The task force helped push through a bill to introduce the first alert system in the country for missing Indigenous people; between July 2022 and October 2023, a total of 72 missing alerts were issued, and 65 individuals were located. The task force’s December 2023 report can be read online: https://www.atg.wa.gov/washington-state-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-people-task-force

From left to right in the photo are Fife City Councilmember Joey Murphy, Councilmember Pat Hulcey, Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, Mayor Kim Roscoe, Councilwoman Bean, Deputy Mayor Bryan Yambe, state Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, Councilmember Dee-Dee Gethers, Councilmember Doug Fagundes and state Rep. Jake Fey.