Day of Action: Tribes work with law enforcement on public safety

The lives of Nicole Smith's family changed forever on Nov 19, 2017.

Members of the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians, her relatives said Nicole was shot after an attempted home invasion. Hours passed before the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department came to their reservation, where the crime took place.

But before they arrived, she had died.

Since the homicide, her sister, Bernadette, has been searching for answers. On Tuesday at the West Capitol steps, with her toddler daughter in hand, she demanded justice for her sister.

“Our family is hurt. My daughter here, she will never know her auntie,” Bernadette Smith said. “All the gifts my sister had, a traditional dancer, it's gone. This beautiful medicine that my sister held is not on this Earth anymore.”

Organized by Wilton Rancheria and the Yurok tribe, the Day of Action brought together tribes from across California and law enforcement in an effort to bring awareness to the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases.

Among them included William Honsal, sheriff of Humboldt County, who met with Yurok Tribal Police Chief Gregory O'Rourke. They will be meeting with legislators on policy for trauma-informed policing efforts.

The Day of Action also brought together Wilton Rancheria and the Sacramento Sheriff's Department to collaborate on addressing safety concerns, public safety planning and emergency response between the two agencies. Wilton Rancheria stated the partnership will establish channels of communications and officer training.

“The (agreement) is a commitment to say that my tribe and the sheriff's department is going to sit down and we're going to talk about how we (can ensure safety),” said Jesus Tarango, chairman of Wilton Rancheria. “The fact that we're saying that we're going to sit, and we're going to meet is huge.”

Failed Feather Alert activation

After several Feather Alerts, the emergency notification system for missing Native people, were rejected by the California Highway Patrol, legislators have been looking to amend the law.

In the summer of 2023, Danelle Ipiña-Vigil went missing. Ipiña-Vigil's relatives, who are members of the Yurok tribe, tried to issue a Feather Alert. Her sister, Taralyn Ipiña, spoke with an officer with the California Highway Patrol and explained how her sister met its criteria.

After telling the officer her sister's history of substance abuse, she said it seemed as if he was “looking for disqualifying information versus qualifying variables.”

“I was eventually told that a woman doesn't go missing; it's a choice,” Ipiña said during a Feather Alert advisory hearing.

Her sister later was found.

Ipiña said a proposed new version will mirror the state of Washington's alert system, which she said is not dependent on subjective criteria to send out a Feather Alert.

She said there are looking at removing the “suspicious and unexplained” language from the alert's requirements.

These proposed amendments to the existing laws and requirements to activate the Feature Alert are aimed to prevent a case like Ipiña-Vigil's.

California ranks fifth in the nation with the most Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases, with the majority from Northern California. Around 36% of the state's cases come from Yurok country, which is located in Humboldt and Del Norte counties according to the Sovereign Bodies Institute.

Raquel Williams, the vice chairwoman of Wilton Rancheria, urged lawmakers to create a system that not only involves Native people but also “protects them.”

“We're expecting to right wrongs, we're expecting change, but we're also expecting to be a part of the solution.” Williams said.