Today felt like a gut punch. A woman from the Pueblo of Pojoaque, one of the 23 reservations here in New Mexico went missing, as unfortunately many Native women do. I share her missing poster, and check the comments to see if there’s any additional information and I see this.
The visceral reaction I had, the drop in my stomach. The slap in the face of “oh right these issues go hand in hand.” The Native Woman’s experience is being cautious, never going out alone, sharing locations with family members at all times. And now there’s an extra layer to be afraid of. That we could be detained on our own lands and no one ever knowing what has happened to us. That our government can add us to an MMIW database meanwhile we could be held at a Government level detainment camp.
Her name is Eliana Savannah Critzer, she’s 5’2”, 90lbs and was last seen in a black jacket, blue jeans, and white shoes, and she needs to come home safe.