MISSOULA — A first-of-its-kind event took place at the University of Montana on May 5.
The event featured dinner plates set for relatives lost to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis.
"No one can tell what we've experienced better than ourselves. So, it has to come from the families as hard as it is," Carissa Heavy Runner said.
Mika Westwolf was hit and killed outside Arlee in 2023. It took nearly two years to secure a conviction.
For Heavy Runner, Westwolf’s mother, raising awareness about MMIP remains as important as ever.
"I think it helps when you see someone for the first time, saying, 'I got the courage by hearing so and so talk. And now I want to come up here, and I'm gonna share their story,'" Heavy Runner said.
Bonnie Ascensio has lost two daughters on Montana's roadways. In 2022, a driver hit and killed Maureena Twoteeth.
"My daughter is and will always be a very important part of our family. She was with us 31 years. She's absolutely irreplaceable," Ascensio said.
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It took three years to confirm the driver was under the influence of THC. No arrest has been made.
"I am standing by my belief that something happened that day when my daughter was killed that needs to be prosecuted," Ascensio said.
Twoteeth’s daughter, Melanie Green, was 11 when she lost her mother.
"My favorite memory from when I was younger was how she would always style my hair like hers, and I would wear the same clothes as her. And they're like, 'Is that your daughter or is that your twin?' And so it was really cool," Green said.
Now, almost 16, Green is finding her voice.
"She can't tell her story anymore, but that doesn't mean that I can't tell it for her, and I like telling all the stories and the memories we made together," Green said.
At Missoula’s first "Empty Place at the Table," family members shared what they have been through and why they cannot remain silent.
"Having an Indigenous-specific one like this, I think, really drives home the point of voices that are often missing in conversations," Department of Corrections Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator Chloe Zuraff said.
"I believe anything is possible, especially keeping your relative's name out in the public can put pressure and hopefully get things done and create more awareness," Heavy Runner said.
Other plates highlighted Jermain Charlo, Jadie Butterfly and Aiden Finley.
