www.montereycountynow.com NOVEMBER 13-19, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Indigenous women in the United States face higher rates of violence than other groups nationwide, according to federal data. With that in mind, for the past three years, the local organization Supporting Indigenous Communities Group has held Red Dress Day in Seaside to bring awareness to the issue. This year, SICG is bringing its campaign up a notch, hosting a free training day in Monterey on Friday, Nov. 14 open to law enforcement, advocates, policymakers, legal professionals and more. “Somebody’s got to do something, and hopefully that ripple effect goes out,” says SICG chair Mary Ann Carbone, who is a member of the Chumash Tribe and also serves as Sand City’s mayor. In 2020, homicide was one the leading causes of death for Indigenous females between ages 1 to 45, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While these numbers are alarming, they could actually be worse, since crimes against Native Americans are believed to be underreported for various reasons, including fear of discrimination and distrust in law enforcement. The Indigenous identity of victims may not be known. “People don’t ask a victim, are you Indigenous? And if you are, what’s your tribal affiliation? They don’t ask that question. They don’t know what to do with that information,” says Ismana Carney, SICG’s vice chair. Attendees on Nov. 14 will learn more about cultural awareness, building trust among indigenous communities, how to identify human trafficking and strategies to communicate with survivors, among other topics. They will also learn about the Feather Alert, an emergency notification alert in California for missing Indigenous people, similar to Amber or Silver alerts, that started in 2023. They will analyze the cases of two Indigenous women, one with a negative outcome and one positive outcome. The former is about Courtney Ann Turney, a 33-year-old woman from the Comanche nation who suffered domestic violence, and was imprisoned and murdered in Seaside. The second case, about a Mexican Indigenous woman from Greenfield who was trafficked, resulted in the victim going missing and later being found. Monterey County Assistant District Attorney Matthew L’Heureux, who is presenting on Turney’s case, says it is better to report if something doesn’t feel right instead of expecting someone else to do it. “Almost no one made any reports to law enforcement about what they saw until after the victim was found,” L’Heureux says. Other presenters include Janet K. Bill, director of the Office of Native American Affairs in the Attorney General’s Office (and also a member of the Chukchansi Tribe). About 180 people have signed up for the conference including local law enforcement from Salinas, Sand City, Seaside and Gonzales, and tribal members from different nations across California. The event will be recorded and made available to the public. Fight for Life A local effort to bring attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women is growing. By Celia Jiménez Mary Ann Carbone hopes those who attend the conference share their knowledge. “This is an epidemic in the United States, so wherever they go, they can take awareness with them.” NEWS “Somebody’s got to do something.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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