MMIWR rally held during Line 5 Week of Resistance

Nearly 100 people gathered at Bayview Park in Ashland Thursday for a rally honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR).

The rally was part of the Week of Resistance in Ashland, a week of construction monitoring, workshops and community gatherings focused on Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline reroute around the Bad River Reservation.

During the rally, people gathered in a circle on the grass to listen to various speakers. Red dresses and shirts hung throughout the park, honoring those who are missing or have been murdered.

Among the speakers was Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa member Rene Anne Goodrich. She is the founder of the Native Lives Matter Coalition and a member of the Wisconsin Department of Justice MMIWR task force.

“We want to recognize our missing, our murdered, our indigenous women and relatives and families and communities that are directly impacted,” said Goodrich. “As indigenous people, I do not know a single family that is indigenous that has not been impacted by MMIWR.”

The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates about 4,200 cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people remain unsolved nationwide.

Goodrich said the red dresses are a quiet form of advocacy, honoring those who have been lost while reminding the community that the crisis continues. Red tobacco ties were also handed out to attendees to tie to a large tipi that stood near the edge of the park, an act Goodrich said promotes healing and recognizes families directly impacted by MMIWR.

The Line 5 Connection

Goodrich explained the MMIWR rally’s connection to the broader Week of Resistance. She says the MMIWR crisis is directly connected to extractive industries and pipeline projects like the Line 5 relocation project.

“With the influx of our man camps and influx of men that are cash heavy from Enbridge into our indigenous communities and communities that border our tribal nations. We see, as domestic violence and sexual assault advocates, we see this uptick in our shelters that counts the numbers of women being serviced and how we are directly impacted.”

A 2021 Guardian article reported that a crisis center in northwestern Minnesota received more than 40 reports alleging harassment and assaults involving workers on Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement project.

Enbridge spokesperson Michael Barnes told the Guardian the company has “zero tolerance for illegal behavior by anyone associated with our company or its projects.” The article also reported that two contract workers charged with sex trafficking were fired.

Goodrich said the concern is that large temporary worker camps, also known as “man camps,” associated with pipeline projects, like the Line 5 relocation project, can lead to increased violence against Indigenous women and relatives.