[Trigger warning: Rape story]
Bonnie, a Cherokee woman in Oklahoma, was 14 when she was raped by five men while waiting for a ride home. She never reported the rape: "I just didn't figure anyone would believe me — a child against five white men."
There are tens of thousands more stories like Bonnie's. 1 in 6 women will be raped during their lives in the U.S - and among American Indian women, it's an even more horrifying 1 in 3. The reason why is as offensive as it is shocking: In 1978, the Supreme Court said tribal police don't have criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians - but there are no other police to do the job.
This means white people can literally get away with murder on many reservations. The result? A rape rate twice the national average - mostly committed by non-Indians and strangers - and tribal police are totally powerless to stop it.
No woman deserves to live through this horror - and Congress can fix it.
Because the Court was interpreting statutes, not the Constitution, a new bill could stop many of these rapes simply by giving tribes the same jurisdiction as any county or state. Haven't white governments acted like we know what's best for Native Americans long enough? Tribes are as capable of governing their land as anyone else, and deserve that respect.
A simple law returning authority to tribes could change everything - it's up to us to convince the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to pass one. Sign the petition today to send them a message!
Senators,
One in six women will be raped at some point in the United States. That's an appalling statistic - but among American Indian women, it's a horrifying one in three. The reason why is as ridiculous as it is shocking and offensive, but a simple law could change everything. It's up to you and your colleagues on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to pass a full Oliphant fix immediately!
In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe that tribes don't have criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians on reservations, even though they're sovereign and the only local government. But under the wording of the Constitution's Commerce Clause, states don't have jurisdiction either, and the feds have other priorities like terrorism. That means that white people can literally get away with murder on many reservations. The result? Justice Department statistics reveal a rape rate twice the national average -- mostly committed by strangers rather than acquaintances -- and the police are powerless to do anything about it.
No woman deserves to live through this horror - and you can do something about it.
In Oliphant, the Supreme Court was interpreting statutes, not the Constitution. That means a simple law from Congress could overturn this horrific Supreme Court decision, give Indian tribes the same authority and criminal jurisdiction as any other local government, and stop many of these rapes from occurring! Tribes deserve this authority - they are as capable of governing their own land as any other sovereign American government, and deserve that respect and empowerment. A limited fix was included in the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, but it didn't go nearly far enough, leaving hundreds of thousands of women still at risk.
[YOUR PERSONAL COMMENT HERE]
Senator, please make stopping rape a top priority by passing a full Oliphant fix!
