More than 50 sign-toting Tribal and non-tribal citizens walked silently through downtown Crescent City at noon, last Monday, bringing attention to the fact that thousands of Indigenous individuals have gone missing or fall victim to foul play, murder and human trafficking.This event sponsored by the Tolowa Dee-ni Nation was the 3rd annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Walk (MMIP), traversed both sides of the 101.The MMIP event shines a spotlight on Indigenous victims throughout the United States and within the Tolowa Dee-ni service area, spanning Del Norte and Curry County. Remembering Indigenous People who’ve been murdered or go missing by Roger Gitlin #placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');The Family Wellness Victim Services Division helped make signs and assisted participants paint their faces with a red handprint which symbolizes the MMIP message. Displays included names and photos of missing and Murdered Indigenous People. “When we are dealing with a lot of heavy issues, we recognize what we have to work through it ,” Tribal citizen Suntayea Steinruck told attendees. She continued, “It can be heavy on your heart, heavy on your soul but it’s also healing.”The Tolowa Dee-ni Nation also released this statement after the event: “Since time immemorial, the Tolowa people have lived in harmony with their environment and have been stewards of this area prior to the arrival of the first Euro-Americans. Sadly, many of the established villages and their inhabitants killed by state-funded militias in the 1850s. Today, many descendants of the Tolowa people are enrolled citizens of the federally recognized Tolowa Dee-ni Nation and Elk Valley Rancheria. We are here today because we know the impact this scourge is having on our people.”The Nation welcomed tribal members and the community to play any integral role in addressing this issue. If you have information about a missing or murdered individual, please call 9-1-1, immediately. Even the smallest bit of information can be a piece that leads to a successful recovery or closure of a missing Indigenous person. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });