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Press release from the California Attorney General’s Office:

California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued an alert to Californians to promote awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) through an event sponsored by the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA), in partnership with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Yurok Tribal Police Department and the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Department, called Missing in California Indian Country. This first-of-its-kind event will occur in the Northern Region at the Blue Lake Rancheria, on Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Blue Lake Rancheria in Blue Lake, California. The event is free and open to the public to bring awareness and provide the opportunity for tribal families to come together and uplift ongoing tribally-led efforts to confront this crisis.

“Tribal communities form the foundation of our state’s rich cultural tapestry, but have long been overlooked and undervalued,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We cannot erase our dark history, but we can — and must — recognize it, apologize for it, and vow to break the cycle. That’s why this event is so important: Our tribal communities have and continue to contribute to our society in immeasurable ways. And yet, the struggles they have endured have been nothing short of brutal. Loved ones, especially women and girls, have gone missing or been murdered and their cases lay unresolved — as do generations of historical trauma. The California Department of Justice is committed to listening and learning. We will continue to follow the lead of tribal communities to partner in justice and create the change we need to see.”

This is part of an ongoing series of events taking place throughout the four regions of California. They, in part, serve as critical public safety events for tribal communities and aim to elevate the state’s response to the MMIP crisis. These events will allow for loved ones to report an individual missing, receive an update on an active missing person’s case, and/or provide a DNA sample for inclusion in the DOJ’s Unidentified Persons Database. The event has been developed and planned in collaboration with the tribal governments within Northern California to be most responsive to the needs of the region’s tribal communities. Local, state, tribal, and federal justice partners will come together for this event to share critical information, resource availability, and partnership in addressing the MMIP crisis in California.

This event is part of an ongoing effort of ONAA, an office established in DOJ in 2000 to support the rights of tribal citizens and governments and help protect the public safety of tribal communities. ONAA provides three main functions within the DOJ and those functions are as follows:

• ONAA advises the Attorney General on matters of importance to California tribal governments and tribal citizens that promote the health, safety and, welfare for California’s tribal citizens.
• ONAA serves as tribal liaison between the DOJ and federal, tribal, state, and local justice systems.
• ONAA facilitates and promotes a statewide framework for state and tribal partnerships that encourage the cooperation and collaboration between tribal, state, federal and local justice agencies through coordination of intergovernmental services, programs and technical assistance for justice-related issues.

These efforts continue the ongoing work of Attorney General Bonta to protect the rights of the Indigenous People of California and is committed to attend the Candlelight Vigil for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People at the State Capitol on May 3, 2023. Recently, the Attorney General fought for a $5 million investment in the state budget aimed at supporting public safety on tribal lands in California. The funds are for the implementation of California Assembly Bill 3099 (AB 3099), which calls for the California Department of Justice to provide training and guidance to law enforcement agencies and tribal governments to help reduce uncertainty regarding criminal jurisdiction and improve public safety on tribal lands.

To find out more information about the upcoming event and to register for Missing in California Indian Country: Northern California Region event, please click here.