We have observed that most of the instances of the frequent violence in our community are closely related to the unacceptable high rates of drug and alcohol abuse, and the lack of substance use and mental health treatment programming on the reservation. Symptoms of this widespread mental health crisis include high rates of sex trafficking, rape and sexual assault, missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), domestic and intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect. These forms of violence have come to be so high that we as a community have reached a breaking point. 

We have written this call to action and are gathering signatures in order to demand that our elected leadership take immediate and sustained action to address these crises. We cannot watch our people suffer and we cannot watch programs meant to help them fail anymore. 

We are asking that the elected leadership of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe take the following actions:

Ensure that all relevant tribal employees and partnering agencies have the appropriate training, support, and system of accountability in place that enforce use of best and mandated practices. This includes:

• Provide mandatory training to employees in programs such as housing, ICWA, and the casino on issues such as trafficking, domestic and intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect.
• Expand training available for staff working with recovering substance users to include more holistic, trauma-informed, culturally relevant treatment and therapeutic options.
• When a victim is living in tribal housing and their home has been damaged due to abuse or violence, mandate that repairs be made in a timely manner.
• Work directly with and support the Northern Cheyenne Housing Authority in developing and implementing holistic protocols and programming regarding supportive housing for healing tribal members (in particular, recovering substance users and victims of abuse).
• Train staff in all relevant agencies on best practices in program outreach, and require and support regular outreach activities. In particular, prevention and intervention programs should be part of the daily routine of our communities.
• Create a Task Force of relevant agencies and stakeholders that meets regularly to discuss and plan trainings on best practices in working with victims of violence, works together to ensure mandatory practices in working with victims of violence are implemented consistently and with the appropriate inter-agency collaboration, and creates designated opportunities for community members to safely report when best/mandatory practices were not implemented when they sought help. 

Make the necessary changes and investments in the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Court system to increase prosecution and victim-centered sentencing of violent offenders and substance abuse-related crimes. This includes:

• Hire additional prosecutors to ensure sustainability of the Prosecution Office and regular availability of prosecutors so that cases are not needlessly delayed.
• Increase capacity to serve protection orders on the reservation.
• Implement stricter protocols for banishment of violent offenders, in consultation with victims and their priorities.
• Develop and implement culturally-relevant, restorative sentencing models for violent crimes and substance abuse related crimes.
• Invest in relationship building with other tribal courts, providing court staff opportunities to learn directly from other tribes engaging in culturally specific best practices in their courtrooms and justice programming.
• Conduct a full evaluation of the existing tribal code utilizing subject matter experts to determine where tribal law can be strengthened in addressing violence and substance use related crimes, and take action to implement the recommendations of that evaluation. 

Aggressively pursue funding to invest in long overdue, desperately needed social programming for the healing, safety, and wellbeing of our people. This includes:

• Substance use and mental health treatment programming available on the reservation, including both in and out patient options, a detox center, and programming for children and youth.
• Strategic plan created with assistance from subject matter experts to reduce and prevent drug use and trafficking, especially in tribal housing or on tribal property, and in public areas.
• Domestic violence shelter available on the reservation.
• Incentives to hire or train and certify SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurses to be based at the IHS clinic in Lame Deer.
• Investing in an adequate number of rape kits to be held at the IHS clinic in Lame Deer.
• Investing in an adequate number of ICWA staff and a strategic plan developed with subject matter experts to reduce the number of Northern Cheyenne children in off-reservation, non-Native placements.
• Programming to meaningfully and holistically assist Northern Cheyenne parents and families in keeping their children and preventing termination of parental rights.

Implement measures to exercise our sovereignty and self-determination as a nation in addressing violence and substance use in our community. This includes:

• Take immediate action towards building tribal court capacity to implement the special jurisdiction outlined in the most recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which restores criminal jurisdiction over trafficking, child abuse, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and violence against law enforcement to tribal nations.
• Require the Prosecution Office to file civil charges against all violent offenders on the reservation, and require that any funds gained from these suits be placed into a special fund that supports victim services and other critical infrastructure supporting survivors and violence prevention. Post signs or notices stating that these civil suits will be filed throughout the reservation, and make it clear that this applies to non-tribal members as well; in other words, remind perpetrators and victims that the tribe takes violence seriously and will ensure that there will be consequences independent of federal investigation or prosecution.
• Create dedicated, regular spaces for tribal members to share ideas, recommendations, and needs regarding violence with elected leadership, as well as for leadership to report out progress in working to meet those needs or take those recommendations to heart. 

We ask that elected leadership have monthly public meetings to brief the community on progress in meeting these requests. This crisis in our community is urgent and for that reason we also ask that immediate action be taken, with a goal of full implementation of these requests within one calendar year.