Yurok tribal leaders meet with Gov. Newsom for signing of Feather Alert Bill

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Yurok Tribal leaders met with Governor Gavin Newsom for the signing of the Feather Alert Bill, which would help locate missing indigenous people.

Chairman Joseph L. James, Vice Chairman Frankie Myers and Yurok Chief Operating Officer Taralyn Ipina were on hand as Newsom signed the bill that would authorize members of the California Highway Patrol to issue a Feather Alert when an indigenous person goes missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.

"I would like to thank California Governor Gavin Newsom and Assembly Member James C. Ramos for creating a mechanism to quickly get the word out when indigenous people go missing or are at risk,” said James in a statement.“We supported the Feather Alert bill because it will help reduce the disproportionate rate of MMIP cases in California. The next generation of indigenous Californians should not have to live in a world where they have to worry about family members going missing or worse. With the emergency notification in place, we will take action to address the remaining root causes of this complex crisis.”

The Yurok tribe declared a state of emergency regarding Missing Murdered and Indigenous People within Northern California and created three reports focused on the subject.In the final report the tribe, lead researcherBlythe George said, "It is our relatives that are taken at far disproportionate rates to others ."

In October, the Yurok Tribe will hold the Northern California Tribal Summit on MMIP with various tribal leaders,lawmakers, academic researchers and advocates that aims on tackling the issue.