LAKEPORT, Calif. — A special event this week will focus on the efforts to protect Native Americans from an epidemic of violence.

Lake County Tribal Health Consortium invites the community to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, or MMIP, event on Friday, May 2.

It will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at Xabatin Park, 800 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

National Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Day is marked on May 5.

The goal is to bring awareness about MMIP, which is the high rate of disappearances, violent crimes and sexual exploitation involving Native American people at what are reported to be disproportionately higher rates than all other races.

The Urban Indian Health Institute reports that California comes in at No. 6 nationwide for the number of MMIP cases within its borders.

The Centers for Disease Control said that, for Native Americans, homicide is the No. 3 leading cause of death among 1 to 19-year-olds and the No. 6 leading cause of death among 20 to 44-year-olds.

The institute’s statistics show that Native Americas are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault crimes compared to all other races, and one in three Indian women reports having been raped during her lifetime. In addition, 34 percent of Native women are raped in their lifetimes.

Data from the National Criminal Justice Training Center shows that 40% of victims of sex trafficking are identified as Native American/Alaskan Native women.

For native men, the National Crime Information Center showed that, as of 2020, 4,276 reports of Native American and Alaskan Native males were logged into the center’s database.

The data also show that 81.6% or every four in five native men have experienced a form of violence in their lifetime. For comparison purposes, according to the CDC, the national average of violence against all men is one in four, which translates to 25% of the entire population. Native men are 56.6% more likely to experience a violent crime compared to all other races.

Organizers said there will be many raffle prizes and giveaways at Friday’s family-friendly event, along with more than 70 booths.

There also will be five feather dancer groups performing and one drum group for the opening ceremony.