Sovereign Bodies Institute has documented a disturbingly high number of Missing Murdered and Indigenous People cases in the Northern Plains region of the United States, including the Dakotas, Montana, and Nebraska, where the KXL pipeline was supposed to be built.
These cases total to 411 Missing Murdered and Indigenous People who went missing or were killed in these four states, or who come from tribal nations in these four states.
Ten percent of these cases occurred in counties where the KXL pipeline was proposed to be built.
Four out of five of these cases in remain unsolved with no charges laid.
An additional 10% of cases occurred in counties directly adjacent to the proposed KXL route, totaling to 31 areas in which Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) cases and the proposed KXL route intersect. Altogether, over two thirds of these cases have no publicly available information on alleged perpetrator or leads in investigation.
This is concerning, as it indicates that these areas already have high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls, and a lack of law enforcement capacity or will to respond.
There is currently no community in this region that is not impacted by the cumulative effects of this violence on public safety, and community health and wellness. Our communities deserve better.
