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Tribal community members and allies marched to the Humboldt County Courthouse in Eureka this afternoon to demand justice for lost loved ones in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Awareness Day. The national MMIP movement aims to increase awareness of the ongoing violence against indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

Today’s event, organized by the Yurok Tribe, kicked off at the Adorni Center in Eureka, where volunteers handed out and free t-shirts from the To’ Kee Skuy’ Soo Ney-Wo-Chek’ (I Will See You Again in a Good Way) Project, an initiative of the Yurok Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Program focused on justice, healing and prevention. Many organizers held red, heart-shaped mylar balloons. Each of the tables scattered throughout the room was topped with red and white roses, a schedule of events and small pieces of candy.

Wiyot Tribal Councilmember Vanessa Rios gave a solemn introduction ahead of the march, remembering the Wiyot people who lost their lives in the February 26, 1860, massacre on Tuluwat Island in Humboldt Bay.

“No charges were filed for these murders – no investigation, no action taken by local law enforcement,” Rios read from a prepared statement. “No one was tried, no one held accountable. … This legacy of disregard for the lives of the Wiyot people continues today. Humboldt County has the highest concentration of [MMIP] cases in California, yet here on our own ancestral lands, Wiyot people are often left out of conversation about murdered and missing indigenous people.”

Rios’ speech was followed by a song from Yurok tribal member Lisa Hayden. “Now that we’ve had prayer, we’ve had land acknowledgement and we’ve had a beautiful song, we can go in a good way now and bring awareness,” said Laura Whitewood, community outreach manager for the Yurok Tribal Court.

As the crowd of 150-plus people made its way through Old Town and Downtown Eureka, organizers led chants calling for justice and listed the names of several local indigenous people whose missing persons cases have yet to be resolved. Many held signs featuring the names and pictures of loved ones.

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