Native women in the U.S. are killed by police at a very high rate, at least according to this story [LINK HERE]. A young, petite Native woman is killed by a police officer for suspected shoplifting. The alleged weapon she is said to be carrying is a pair of medical scissors. I can't see them in the photo. There are two cops present, and as you can see, the one in the picture is big guy.
The story references a story about another Native woman victim [LINK HERE]. A young pregnant tribal member who is in a car with her perpetrator of domestic violence is shot and killed.
Both stories tell about symptoms that might be evidence of ACEs. Yet programs do not exist to help identify victims and get them the help they need to escape their symptoms.
Blaming victims is a common response in situations like this. Why were the women in the situation they were killed in? If they were not there, and didn't attract the attention of the police, they would not have been killed. Yet the circumstances of each woman indicated their victimization in the past. Shoplifting is a means of acquiring income from illegal means. Stealing, drug dealing, prostitution and other acquisition behaviors are possible in someone who is shoplifting. And this incident is likely one of many incidents. If we look deeper into the life of this woman, we may find other evidence of ACEs, behaviors and negative outcomes that allow us to identify a destructive life pattern.
The other woman is clearly a victim. She was in a car with her perpetrator. Obviously, the system of protection failed her. And the policing system failed her even worse, it killed her.
The evidence of a destructive life pattern shows up relatively early. Native women in general have a high rate of ACEs and it shows up in a lot of statistics, including being killed by police at a far higher rate than non-Native women. We need to discuss better methods of identifying those who are at higher risk, and intervening with a healing process early on.
I am saddened by both stories, and many others that I see on a regular basis.
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