'Bust the Myths' Human Trafficking Presentation at Brown Sugar Coffee

We had a small but good, solid audience at UprisingWyo's human trafficking presentation on Thursday evening. Biggest thanks to Amanda Henry of Brown Sugar Coffee Roastery for hosting this event, and event organizer Ceatriss Wall, Principal of Pathfinder High School in Lander.

Charlie Falkis - himself a survivor of human trafficking - delivered an excellent presentation on the definition(s) of human trafficking specific to Wyoming, and dove into the stats and awareness factors relating to grooming, online/digital solicitations, sextortion, labor trafficking, and more. He even went as far as to show trafficking routes specific to Wyoming and Colorado, and how these circuits are all connected nationally and globally.

Several in last night's audience expressed a desire to not only continue the conversations, but also take more steps in the advancement of education and training for both community members and law enforcement. If you would like to be a part of the growing interest, or if you would like information on how you can be involved, visit UprisingWyo.org.

I think one of the significant takeaways from this event (at least for me) was the "myth buster" that trafficking happens anywhere else but here in our little sheltered Wyoming towns and communities. As I've said before on the subject of domestic violence...just because we might not see it or hear about it daily as we go about our schedules and our lives, doesn't mean it isn't happening. The fact is, it is happening right now!

Awareness is a factor when we trust our children and youth to family members, caretakers, and schools. (Charlie is a survivor of familial trafficking...by his own parents!) It is a factor when it comes to screen time on laptops, tablets, and the devices we hold in our hands. It is even a factor when our very homes are not safe, and you can't run away. And it is a huge factor when it comes to the reasons why people go missing.

For those who were unable to attend the presentation, I've posted a few of the handouts that were distributed at the event at the end of this blog.

Upcoming Events:

I will be attending the Human Trafficking Awareness Week taking place on January 27-29 at UW in Laramie. See below for the classes offered, or visit their Facebook page for updates and information.

I will also be attending Uprising's GRIT Conference held April 20-22 in Billings, MT. The theme is "Advancing Victim Engagement and Trauma Response". I very much look forward to learning, getting equipped, and taking away some valuable information for our first responders!

Carol Harper

Project & Outreach Coordinator

MMIP Wind River

MMIPWindRiver.org

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MMIP Wind River Update ~ January 2026

A new year and new beginnings! Some things might require a reset button to be pushed; others may simply need some ongoing maintenance. However you do it, make sure to take time to breathe, be mindful, be faith-filled and hopeful, and most of all, protect your peace!

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and MMIP Wind River has been sharing so many awesome, informative Facebook posts on what trafficking is, how to be aware of the signs, and what you can do. I don't have to say a whole lot because there are already many informative sites and resources available. Here are just a few links to get started:

The Blue Campaign

https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign

National Indian Gaming Commission

https://www.nigc.gov/commission/human-trafficking-resources/

National Human Trafficking Hotline

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

National Indigenous Women's Resource Center

https://www.niwrc.org/resources/webinars/coming-together-address-human-trafficking-native-communities

UprisingWyo

https://uprisingwyo.org/

Project Rescue

https://www.projectrescue.com/the-issue

I encourage you all to attend an Uprising event at Brown Sugar Coffee Roastery this coming Thursday, January 15 at 6:00 PM. Survivor Leader Charlie Falkis will be there to talk about what human trafficking looks like in Wyoming and what we can do to help!

In Our Communities: The Truth

When we look at the root problems of MMIP, we can see any number of factors that lead up to disappearance. It's not an easy subject to talk about, but the best thing we can do as friends and family members is to recognize the signs and be honest with each other about them. How many times do we say with regret: "If we had only known the truth"...?

But we do know the truth. We know the reasons why children and teens might run away...or be lured away. The questions are: What can we actually do about it, and...are we part of the solution or the problem?

We can definitely get educated about it. I've noticed several common themes running through all of these programs and organizations, and that is:

*REPORT IT! Know and recognize the signs. Be cognizant. See or know something? Say something! It might be nothing, but it could be something. Better to report it. You never know, the one thing you report might break a case wide open.

*PROTECT your loved ones and do not protect the offenders! It stops with you. It stops with more of us standing up and forming an unbreakable bond of love and strength. It brings many shining lights together that can far outshine the darkness of trafficking. All victims need a fighting chance, so we need to give it to them. Don't ever give up!

*KNOW the resources in your tribes and communities. Get educated on the signs (see below). Attend events and workshops on trafficking awareness. One of the lies that perpetrators tell their victims is that law enforcement (PD, Sheriff, FBI, BIA, etc.) is the enemy. They are not. First responders are the ones who know and see the traumas; day after day, night after night. The truth can be too difficult to unravel on your own, so why not get or lend all the help and support that you can? Any information you can give to or follow up with local law enforcement agencies can only help the cases, and working positively with them can eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks that can hinder progress, especially when time is of the essence.

Hope to see you Thursday night!

Carol Harper

Project & Outreach Coordinator

MMIP Wind River

MMIPWindRiver.org

MMIP Wind River Update ~ December 2025

I believe in teamwork, and one of the things I love about where I live is that there are some great people in our communities, agencies, and organizations who share that same belief. You just have to find the right people who are doing the right things for the right reasons, with the right attitude(s). When you have those elements, great things are in store, and progress happens.

At the Wyoming MMIP Task Force's Winter MMIP Community Meeting on December 3, I provided an update on the projects and events MMIP Wind River has developed and been involved with over the past year. Our main projects and outreach have been on the issues of Human Trafficking, Victim Trauma (assault, domestic violence, etc.), and Suicide Prevention. I've met some wonderful people along the way, doing amazing things. These are the unsung heroes who are doing great work, boots on the ground, right where they stand.

Approaching the Issues

My approach this year has been to research and be a part of what is already in place and already working...but to also be able to take some steps back and look at where the bottlenecks might be. Funding and board/staff cuts can impede progress. Sometimes there is a lack of support and resources. Waiting lists, weeks/months out, for key services. Breaking and broken systems can allow the problems to continue, wrought with a history of ineffective solutions. There is a lack of communication and inaccessibility to leaders who are assigned the responsibility(ies) to achieve important tasks that can often fall between the cracks, or are hung up in the status quo. And there are also people and powers-that-be that don't want to see you succeed in battling the beasts that plague our tribes and border towns. Last of all, there are so many who are living in fear...fear of criminals and offenders, fear of being on the edge of hopelessness, fear of taking those fragile steps into the unknown, not knowing if they'll live or die.

Addressing these bottlenecks can be discouraging and frustrating, and sometimes it feels like you're taking three steps forward, five steps back. But in the middle of it all, you find like-minded, encouraging people who have a great desire to help and partner. Even then, you might find yourself going three steps forward, one step back...but hey, at least that's progress!

The key is to believe and never give up. Find your tribe, find your circle. Approach with respect and compassion. Have the mindset of encouraging each other, lifting each other up. Don't divide and tear others down to build yourself up. If you do that, you become a part of the problem, not the solution. Because the wider the divide, the more difficult it is to make an impact and solve the very problems we speak out about.

Listen. Learn. Love. Grow...across the borders.

One of the things I hold fast to is that MMIP is for everyone. Even with the disproportionate amount of crime on reservations across the nation, the incidents that can lead up to MMIP are not discriminating by race, color, gender, religion, etc., and our EMTs and Paramedics that serve Fremont County and the WRIR know this and see it every day. Alcohol and substance abuse-related crimes, domestic violence and assaults, bullying, physical and mental health issues that can lead to suicidal ideations? I know I repeat this a lot, but the truth is, it's everywhere, in every area, community, town, and city. We can't turn a blind eye to it because these are the beasts that need to be conquered from within, and it starts with each one of us, regardless of race or what side of the border we live on.

For us to be effective in the MMIP cause, we need to take the time to find healing within our own selves, so we can use our experiences for the good of others. Because if we don't truly deal with the demons that hold us bound, all the messaging in the world about MMIP would be in vain, and it just becomes a lot of noise...where we barely exist behind masks that hide the hurt, grief and anger; perpetuatie the division, or where we become a clanging noise that drowns out the sweet singing and pulsing beats of our Mother Earth, the source of Life.

There are many resources available to begin the healing. White Buffalo Recovery, Fremont County Prevention Services, Fremont Alliance, Eagles Hope, Not our Native Daughters...these organizations and programs already exist to serve across borders, and yes...some of them struggle with the problems I mentioned above. They might be underfunded, understaffed, or struggling to survive, trying to repair or maintain their existence. But that doesn't mean we ever give up; it means we step up! We support, encourage, and build because we see the need in our own selves and in others.

It also doesn't mean we'll never be discouraged and slip back a few steps. But with these existing programs and circles that have the right people doing the right things for the right reasons with the right attitudes, we can listen to these cheerleaders who are in our corners, learn how to trust and love again, grow and build bridges...and all the while, be stronger for it.

If you would like to be a part of a team that is about strengthening collaboration, providing resources, and improving response - our MMIP mission and vision - please feel free to reach out to me at mmipwindriver@gmail.com. I would love to meet with you and talk about how you can help, right where you stand.

Prayers going up for a New Year filled with hope and strength of spirit...even against the odds!

Carol Harper

'Sweet Singing Woman'
Project & Outreach Coordinator
MMIP Wind River
MMIPWindRiver.org

Strengthening Collaboration.

Providing Resources.

Improving Response.

MMIP Wind River Update - November 2025

This month I traveled to Washington, D.C. as an American Ambulance Association Stars of Life recipient and spoke with Wyoming's representative and senators on the issues that plague our area of Wyoming, namely, Fremont County and the Wind River Indian Reservation. Being frank and honest with them about the problems and scenes that first responders see every day in the county and our tribes not only sheds much light on the subject of the missing and murdered, but also the events that lead up to and impact those situations, namely...domestic violence, battery, sexual assaults, substance abuse, mental illness, human trafficking, and suicide/suicidal ideations. It's all connected, and the more we come to a better understanding of the realities of what is hurting us, we can begin to put into action the things that will heal us.

I also spoke with several EMTs and paramedics from other states in the U.S., and they, too, have come upon and have struggled with the same terrible scenes. In my group were some EMTs from Arizona, a Four Corners state that includes a large region of the Navajo Nation. Serving the cities and border towns on and near reservation lands is a unique challenge, but the problems are the same. "What can we do?" is the question that is always asked in frustration and discouragement. My answer was that we were all here receiving this award for a reason, and those reasons are what got us here. Keep on doing what you're doing, because what we're doing is caring. What better thing is there, when caring is already a part of the job?

October was Domestic Violence Awareness month, and MMIP Wind River was pleased to share several posts not only on awareness, but also to provide some methods to break the cycle and give hope to victim survivors...to know that they are not alone, and that there are people who care and resources to help. They just need to choose it, and things can be set in motion.

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day

One of the things that has and does impact our county and tribes is suicide. MMIP is not just about cases dealing with criminal intent; it is also about the causes of death and dying. Victims of assault and abuse suffer from fear, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. There can often be alcohol and substance abuse involved. There can be social and mental health issues.

As a suicide survivor, I didn't just wake up one morning and decide to kill myself. It was years and years in the making of feeling worthless, not good enough, that the abuse was my fault. The pressure of having to put on the happy mask for everyone, when inside I was dying. It was the feeling of having nowhere to turn, nowhere to go, no one I could really talk to, being embarrassed and ashamed. I attempted suicide twice...once, I broke a bottle and cut my wrists. The second time, I took a whole bottle of pills that I knew I was allergic to. I was in the throes of such a deep depression and despair that I felt that death would be better than living with the physical, verbal, mental, and emotional abuse any longer.

After getting out of the hospital, I was still very numb to life, but I can honestly say that it was my children who saved me. I had to survive for them, and had to do the things that were difficult, but necessary for them. Separation and divorce are hard on kids, but sometimes it's the only choice that a mother can make for her children to have hope and be strong for the sake of their own futures. 

Suicide not only has an enormous impact on families, friends, loved ones, and first responders, but it also has an impact on the Last Responder: the Coroner. Just one life lost creates a ripple effect throughout our entire communities and the world. It creates deep, dark holes in our hearts that never go away. Again, the reason that MMIP even exists isn't just limited to criminal intentions. They are the underlying issues that I relayed to our legislators...the ones that our first responders see every day. There are reasons why someone chooses to take their own life. There are reasons why a child or teenager is taken or trafficked. It can be circumstantial and situational. And it starts in the home, at schools, on the playground, even at church.

This Saturday, there is an event at the Fremont County Fairgrounds in the Little Wind Building (see below). There are good people and local resources available, and I encourage you to attend, or at least stop by for a bit to get some information.

The mission of MMIP Wind River is Strengthening Collaboration, Providing Resources, and Improving Response. This event is proof that our communities are collaborating on these very important issues and are active in providing resources. I am doing my best to help improve the response by being a part of several teams and organizations that understand the need for actions that can segue into these provided resources. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to choose them, but you can help by knowing about them, sharing them, and pointing your family, friends, and loved ones in the right direction.

Carol Harper
Project & Outreach Coordinator
MMIPwindriver.org

Email: mmipwindriver@gmail.com

MMIP Wind River