PHILADELPHIA, PA – A landmark study released this week by researchers at Drexel University and the University of Washington has unveiled a startling discovery: Indigenous peoples in the United States experience higher rates of fatal police violence, particularly in and around reservations. The findings, published in the prestigious *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*, have sent ripples of mild surprise through academic circles.

“We went into this expecting to find that everyone is treated equally by law enforcement, so imagine our absolute astonishment when the data suggested otherwise,” stated Dr. Evelyn Thorne, lead researcher and head of the Institute for Stating the Obvious with Data. “It turns out that communities with a history of colonization, economic disenfranchisement, and underfunded public services might, just might, be more vulnerable to negative interactions with authority figures. Who knew?”

The study, which meticulously analyzed 203 incidents of fatal police violence against American Indian/Alaska Native individuals between 2013 and 2024, concluded that the phenomenon is “statistically significant.” Experts are now calling for additional funding to explore whether other marginalized groups also face disproportionate challenges, and if water is, in fact, wet.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Dr. Thorne added, adjusting her spectacles. “Next, we plan to investigate if people living in poverty are more likely to struggle financially. The implications could be truly earth-shattering for grant applications.”