Hundreds march in Eureka for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day

More than 150 tribal community members and allies walked through Old Town and downtown Eureka on May 5, turning Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day into a visible demand for justice at the Humboldt County Courthouse.

The procession moved past businesses and through the county seat before ending at the courthouse steps, where organizers led chants and read aloud the names of Indigenous relatives and community members whose disappearances or deaths remain unresolved. The scene made the point clear: MMIP in Humboldt County is not a symbolic observance, but a live public-safety and justice issue tied to local families, local institutions and cases that have not been closed.

That urgency landed in a place where tribal communities, county government and the courts intersect every day. Humboldt County supervisors have previously proclaimed May as MMIP Awareness Month, and the courthouse rally put the justice system itself at the center of the message. Demonstrators were not just remembering lost relatives. They were asking prosecutors, investigators and elected officials to do more when cases go cold and families are left without answers.

The event also connected Eureka to a wider California response that has grown more formal in recent years. California recognizes May 5 as National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and the California Native American Legislative Caucus held its annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples’ Week at the State Capitol from May 4 to May 7, 2026. The caucus has said California ranks among the top five states in MMIP cases, underscoring the scale of the crisis beyond Humboldt County.

State officials have framed these gatherings as more than awareness events. The California Department of Justice has said MMIP events are critical public safety events for tribal communities and can help families report missing persons and receive updates on active cases. The department also says Assembly Bill 3099 created the Tribal Assistance Program within the Office of Native American Affairs, with a mandate to provide training and guidance to law enforcement agencies and tribal governments so they can reduce uncertainty over criminal jurisdiction and improve public safety on tribal lands.

That policy backdrop has been paired with funding and coordination efforts. In July 2024, California announced nearly $20 million in grants to 18 Native American tribes for MMIP investigations, and state materials have highlighted Missing in California Indian Country regional events involving tribal police and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. In Eureka, the march through Old Town and up to the courthouse made those broader efforts feel immediate, local and unfinished.