Velshi: Violence against women is an epidemic. Let’s start acting like it

The death of Gabby Petito has captivated the nation. Her boyfriend, who police say remains a person of interest in the investigation, is still missing. What happened to Gabby Petito is horrible. And her case deserves the attention it’s getting. And so do the stories of thousands of women who have shared a similar fate. If you are a woman of color, an indigenous woman, a trans woman, or a woman living in poverty, the system values your life even less. 466 Indigenous women and girls were reported missing in the past decade in Wyoming, the same state where Gaby Petito’s body was discovered. And if you look at federal data from 2018, black women made up less than 7% of the population, yet they accounted for nearly 10% of all missing persons cases in the country. Just like climate change, social justice and the opioid crisis – this is a crisis that is all of our problems to solve. This is a societal crisis. It’s time we hold violence against women - Black, white, Hispanic, indigenous, poor, wealthy - all women - the same standard of outrage and action.Sept. 25, 2021