HOLLYWOOD — Community members dressed in red gathered on the Hollywood Reservation May 16 for a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) prayer walk. Organized by Durante Blais-Billie, Tomasina Chupco and tribal departments, the walk honored and raised awareness for MMIR.

“This is a very important walk throughout all reservations, whether you came from Hollywood or Big Cypress or wherever, we just want to thank you all for being here. This is a walk for a prayer in motion, for those who don’t have voices anymore, those who are no longer with us, we’re here to honor them and keep them in our hearts,” Chupco said at the event.

According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are about 4,200 missing and murdered Indigenous Peoples cases that are unsolved, and many say this number is likely higher. An FBI report released in early 2025 analyzes violent and sexual crimes against Native people. There were 25,817 reported cases of violent crime and 8,575 sexual crimes against Native people from 2021 to 2023, according to an FBI release.

Blais-Billie said having conversations about MMIR is important to continue reminding people that this continues to happen.

“I think especially for us Seminole people going through the wars, protecting each other is something you’re really raised to focus on,” Blais-Billie said. “Being safe is something that our elders have really passed down different methods. … Community safety is a huge part of our culture, so I think for a lot of Seminoles that’s kind of ingrained in us.”

There are many steps in community safety, but Blais-Billie said the first one is knowing each other and checking in with those you know.

“There’s a saying across Indian Country that culture is prevention, and I think that’s really true for a lot of different aspects in community protection,” Blais-Billie said. “If we’re reconnecting to those things that are sacred, those teachings that women are sacred, children are sacred, all bodies are important, all people of all genders are valuable. If we’re really recentering those cultural teachings, that helps us keep each other safe, it helps us value each other and really see each other as relatives rather than just neighbors or people we go to school with.”

Community members and tribal employees gathered at the airnasium, walked with signs and prayers and shared a meal afterward.

“I hope the people that came today feel really empowered to be that safe space for people in their family. I think that’s how we really tackle this issue, making sure everybody has access to resources,” Blais-Billie said. “Especially here in the Seminole Tribe because we’re so blessed with amazing governmental departments and amazing healthcare, but our issue is that people might not know the faces to reach out to or feel comfortable starting those conversations. So, my hope is that we encourage people to have this not just be an event, but a continued conversation in their families, in their classrooms, with their friends.”