Inaugural Summit on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

Vesper Society believes a just society begins when everyone is well and respected as a human being. Every day we link arms with leaders and communities to uplift through service, break down barriers, and elevate community voices.

Earlier this month in Arcata, the Yurok Tribe hosted the inaugural Northern California Policy Summit on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. It was a powerful event that brought together Tribal leaders, survivors, families, policy makers, and community members to address this crisis and find solutions.

California ranks fifth in the nation for incidents of missing and murdered indigenous people (MMIP) and far northern California accounts for most of the cases. Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women and girls. In some Tribal communities, Indigenous women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average.

At the beginning of the summit, Yurok Tribal Council Member Phillip Williams spoke. “In 2017, October 31, my daughter went missing. The next day she was found and she was passed. And I went through a lot of pain.…That’s how I became a Tribal leader. Once I made it through that pain, I knew there was nothing that could knock me down. The Creator made this path for me to be here. I was a little reluctant to share my pain, but I believe this is the right forum. You know, I look at all the women in my family – my mother, my mother-in-law, my sisters, my aunties, my nieces – they have all been affected by violence. So, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching and the conclusion I’ve come to is we need to raise the value of an Indigenous life.”

When a Tribal member is reported missing, families are often caught in a jurisdictional dispute about which law enforcement agency is responsible. This dilemma was created by Congress in 1953 when it passed Public Law 280 (PL280) that granted the State of California extensive criminal and civil jurisdiction over Tribal lands. PL280 is a complex statute that has been misunderstood and misapplied by Federal and State governments. The policy summit recommends a thorough review to develop policy solutions at the federal level and recommends that all Tribal police be recognized as California peace officers.

In Humboldt County 35 to 40 percent of children in foster care are Native children even though they make up only 6.4% of the population. Once in the foster care system, the programs are not culturally informed and Native children experience poor outcomes. Foster care has been characterized as a pipeline to MMIP. The policy summit recommends that state legislation be passed to locate and protect Tribal children when they go missing from foster care.

Mental health crises are often a precursor to a person going missing. Vesper Society is committed to working with our Humboldt County partners to strengthen behavioral health services for children, youth, and families.

November is Native American Heritage Month. It is a time to honor the realities and histories of Indigenous Peoples and to celebrate their rich and diverse cultures. We encourage you to learn about the original inhabitants of the land on which you reside and become more aware of the issues facing Native communities. We want the invisible to become visible, so we can take action to repair the world step by step. In doing so, we are closer to our vision of a society that protects human dignity and enhances human potential.