Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force Quarterly Meeting January 25, 2021

Time	Agenda Item
9:00-9:10	Welcome Caroline Palmer and Beatriz Menanteau, Minnesota Department of Health
9:10-9:30	Minnesota Expungement Program Nilushi Ranaweera, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Minnesota Attorney General
9:30-10:15	Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Report to the Legislature Nicole MartinRogers, Wilder Research Senator Mary Kunesh, Minnesota Senate Nicole Matthews, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition Nigel Perrote, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault American Indian women and girls make up less than 1% of Minnesota’s population but account for 9% of all murdered women and girls. There may be 50 or more missing American Indian women and girls in Minnesota in any given month. The MMIW Task Force was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2019 to address the systemic causes behind the disproportionate violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls; collect and report data on violence against Indigenous women and girls; address policies and practices in institutions that impact violence against Indigenous women and girls; reduce and eliminate violence against Indigenous women and girls; and help Indigenous women and girls who are victims/survivors, their families, and their communities prevent and heal from violence. This presentation highlights the key findings from the MMIW Task Force’s research and provides an overview of the 20 key mandates that the MMIW Task Force included in their report that was submitted to the Legislature in December 2020.
10:15-10:30	Safe Harbor Update Caroline Palmer, Minnesota Department of Health

Presenter Bios

Nicole MartinRogers

Nicole MartinRogers (White Earth Ojibwe, descendant) has been with Wilder Research since 2001. She provides research and evaluation services to a wide range of programs and organizations. She designs and consults on program evaluations and community-based applied research projects, and facilitates data-based decision-making processes. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. She is grateful for all of the informal learning opportunities she has received working at Wilder and while interacting with various individuals, communities, and organizations in her professional and volunteer roles. Nicole volunteers on the Roseville Schools Indian Education Parent Committee, and serves as the board chair for both the Saint Paul Children’s Collaborative and Tiwahe Foundation. Nicole is also the outgoing president of the Minnesota Evaluation Association.

Senator Mary Kunesh

Having served as a State Representative since 2017, Mary Kunesh was elected to the MN Senate in 2020, representing District 41; communities of first ring suburbs of Minneapolis/ St. Paul. As an educator, Mary retired from her role as a Library Media Specialist after more than 20 years’ service.

Mary is the daughter and granddaughter of members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and is committed to supporting positive legislation for our American Indian and marginalized people in Minnesota. She served as an Assistant Majority Leader for the DFL Caucus in the House and is a founding member of the first Native American and the POCI (People of Color Indigenous) Caucus in the Minnesota legislature.

Senator Kunesh is the author and passed legislation to initiate a Missing and Murdered Task force in MN during Session 2019.She also authored and passed components of the Increase TOCAI (Teachers of Color and American Indian Act), modified concurrent state law and reservation enforcement jurisdictional authority, equity funding for our BIE schools, and the first increase in MFIP grants to Minnesota families in over 30 years, and created the first Indigenous art grants and language recognition.

Nicole Matthews

Nicole Matthews is a descendent of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and is the Executive Director for Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, a statewide Tribal Coalition and National Tribal Technical Assistance Provider, addressing sexual violence and sex trafficking against Indigenous people  The mission of this organization is to strengthen the voices of Indigenous women to create awareness, influence social change, and reclaim the traditional values that honor the sovereignty of Indigenous women and children thereby eliminating the sexual violence perpetrated against them.  Their vision is: Creating Safety and Justice for Native Women Through the Teachings of Our Grandmothers.

Nicole was one of five researchers who interviewed 105 Native women used in prostitution and trafficking for their report: Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota. Nicole sat on the State of Minnesota Attorney General’s Work Group on Sexual Assault; she is a board member for the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center; she is the Vice Chair of Minnesota’s Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women’s Task Force; and she is a National and International Speaker on sexual violence and sex trafficking.

Nicole is also the proud mother of three beautiful children and the grandmother to one.  They give her the strength and motivation to continue working to end gender-based violence.

Nigel Perrote

Nigel Perrote has 12+ years of experience working with youth and young adults in a variety of capacities from direct service to program administration. His professional experiences primarily focused on youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, pregnant and parenting adolescents, sexual violence, and sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

Nigel previously worked for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs as the Tribal Liaison. He was the Task Force Coordinator for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force serving as the DPS liaison for the task force and supporting the work of the task force in developing the report. He recently started at the Minnesota Coalition against Sexual Assault (MNCASA) as the National and State Program Director overseeing the coalition’s national and state technical assistance work with the Sexual Violence Justice Institute.  

Nigel is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and holds B.A in Psychology and Sociology – Law, Criminology, and Deviance and a M.A. in Tribal Administration and Governance both from the University of Minnesota.