It’s been almost two months since Melissa Beson was last seen in Lac du Flambeau. She’s one of thousands of Native American women that are reported missing each year.
Beson’s picture was made into a pin worn by many in the Lac du Flambeau community Monday.
On May 5th, local tribal communities gathered to raise awareness and call for an end to violence against indigenous people. It’s part of a National Day of Awareness.
More than 300 people walked down the streets of Lac du Flambeau Monday evening.
They wore bright red and held signs and flags that said things like “Out of darkness and into the light”, “Justice for Stephanie Grace Bearstail”, and “We walk for our murdered and missing indigenous women and relatives.”
“Because we have men here that were also murdered, so we didn't want to exclude the men,” said Alicia LaBarge as she explained what MMIR stands for. She was one of the main organizers of this year’s MMIW walk in Lac du Flambeau.
She started it five years ago with her boxing team when only about 15 people came out.
The head count this year is 324.
“It's amazing. I can't believe the amount of support we get more and more each year. We just keep progressively getting bigger and bigger and bringing the awareness,” said Dorothy Grant.
It's that awareness that four in five native women will experience violence in their lifetime.
That homicide was in the top ten leading causes of death for American Indian and Alaskan Native men in the year 2020.
That of the thousands of cases of missing and murdered indigenous people, most go unsolved.
Gloria Toyebo says she’s had talks with her daughter about being cautious and trusting her gut.
“I always tell my daughter, ‘You gotta fight’ because that's your last stand, because once they get you in the car, then that's another story,” said Toyebo.
Toyebo has helped organize the MMIW walk in Mole Lake for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community for the last four years.
This year, they decided to join with Lac du Flambeau’s.
People also joined from the Lac Vieux Desert Tribe in Watersmeet.
“If we start reaching out to other communities, we can let each other know that we can unite and become a stronger awareness, support,” said Toyebo.
That support meant a lot to LaBarge.
“Everybody kind of wants to spread the awareness in their own community, and for them to come here and join us in ours is pretty great,” said LaBarge.
Police are still searching for Melissa Beson.
Anyone with information about where she might be is asked to call the Lac du Flambeau Police Department or Vilas County Sheriff’s Office. Lac du Flambeau Tribal P.D. at 715-588-7717 or Vilas County Sheriff’s Office at 715-479-4441.
