Star Tribune
Omar, McCollum urge White House to to create federal Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls
Minnesota Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Betty McCollum are calling on the White House to create an Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls within the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Their call comes as Saturday marks what would have been the birthday of Britanny Clardy, a St. Paul woman who went missing in 2013, and whose disappearance prompted Minnesota lawmakers to look more closely at disparities Black women face.
“This complex issue deserves a whole-of-government approach led by your Administration to help all states protect and care for our most vulnerable communities. And there is a strong precedent for similar actions,” Omar and McCollum said in a letter to President Joe Biden.
Omar previously introduced the Brittany Clardy Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Act in Clardy’s memory. It was co-sponsored by all of the Democrats in Minnesota’s congressional delegation. However, that bill has remained in the Republican-controlled House since it was introduced in December.
Clardy’s disappearance led Minnesota lawmakers to create a task force to look into why Black women face higher rates of violence. State legislators later acknowledged these disparities and created one of the nation’s first Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls.
Former President Donald Trump previously signed an executive order which established the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
On the heels of that initiative, Omar hopes that she and McCollum will be able to have similar success with the Biden administration
“Our hope is that it does resonate with them, and that they see the importance and are able to make sure that it’s created and that there is implementation and that this work does happen,” Omar said in an interview Friday.
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment on Omar and McCollum’s request Friday. Omar said she hopes Vice President Kamala Harris “will give this a thought,” and that the White House will support it.
“Establishing a national office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls at the U.S. Department of Justice would follow Minnesota’s lead at the state level,” McCollum said in a statement. “Every Black woman and girl in Minnesota and across America deserves to be safe—and when violence is perpetrated against them, they deserve the dignity of justice.”
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Minneapolis on Sunday as part of worldwide demonstrations on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war. The protests come as Israel has intensified its airstrikes in northern Gaza and southern Lebanon.
Protesters in Minneapolis carried signs depicting the flag of Palestine as they marched through the city streets. The demonstration was organized by American Muslims for Palestine-Minnesota. Across the world, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests and memorial events took place Sunday in Berlin, London and elsewhere.
Monday will mark a year since Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took another 250 hostage in a surprise attack that shocked the world. Since then Israeli forces have staged an aggressive assault of the Gaza Strip that has left more than 41,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
A National Park Service ranger died on Sunday as he tried to rescue a family who had become stranded on an island in Voyageurs National Park.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said in a phone call that the ranger was attempting to rescue a father and his two children and encountered dangerous conditions on Namakan Lake. Strong winds whipped up waves that reached between 5 and 6 feet.
“The boat flipped in the waves,” Ramsay said, and the ranger, a sworn law enforcement officer, died. The family survived the incident.
“Our hearts go out to our National Park Service rangers and their loss as well as the ranger who died in the line of duty today,” he added.
Ramsay said he did not know the exact time of the attempted rescue, and said a statement would be sent out shortly with more details on the incident.
Photos: Pro-Palestinian activists march in Minneapolis
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