In their first meeting of the year, the newly seated city council and mayor discussed a big question – how proceed on the Walnut Lane housing development. Council members voiced their commitment to making the project work in spite of ongoing challenges. Recent evictions in the Moab area peppered some urgency into this conversation. Plus, the state Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Task Force is investigating high crime rates in San Juan County. In Utah, Native Americans are victims of homicide at four times the rate of the white population, with many of those crimes going unsolved. Today on the news, we speak with an expert about jurisdictional issues that may contribute to this situation.

Show Notes:

Photo: The Walnut Lane trailer park, owned and managed by Moab City. The city council is discussing how to move forward on building new affordable units on the site. Courtesy Moab City documents

Walnut Lane Overview & Options 01/11/22

https://moabcity.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/4382?fileID=5526

KZMU’s recent eviction-related coverage:

More Evictions Hitting Moab Residents This Winter

https://www.kzmu.org/more-evictions-hitting-moab-residents-this-winter/

With Nowhere To Go, Elderly Kane Creek Blvd Resident Calls Eviction ‘Almost Life Threatening’

https://www.kzmu.org/with-nowhere-to-go-elderly-kane-creek-blvd-resident-calls-eviction-almost-life-threatening/

Close-knit ‘Charlie-wood’ Residents Tell Story of Displacement, Housing Insecurity

https://www.kzmu.org/close-knit-charlie-wood-residents-tell-story-of-displacement-housing-insecurity/

Facing Eviction Along Kane Creek Road, Locals Worry Over Housing Options

https://www.kzmu.org/facing-eviction-along-kane-creek-road-locals-worry-over-housing-options/

Restoring Ancestral Winds

https://restoringawcoalition.org/utah-must-lead-the-way

The Piaute Indian Tribe of Utah 10/21/20 Position Statement

https://www.utahpaiutes.org/app/uploads/2020/10/Missing-Murdered-Indeginous-Women-Listening-Session-10.21.2020-1.pdf

Murder Accountability Project 04/14/19: Half of Native American homicides not reported to FBI

http://www.murderdata.org/2019/03/half-of-native-american-homicides-are.html