DOJ-Sponsored Conference Promotes Collaborative Approach to Addressing the Needs of Victims of Crime in Indian Country in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE - U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez of the District of New Mexico is hosting the 24th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference at the Isleta Pueblo Hotel and Conference Center in Isleta Pueblo, N.M., on Sept. 7-9, 2016. U.S. Attorney Martinez will be joined by co-hosts U.S. Attorney John S. Leonardo of the District of Arizona, U.S. Attorney John W. Huber of the District of Utah, and Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer of the District of Colorado.
The annual conference, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and the U.S. Attorneys for the Districts of Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, promotes a collaborative approach to addressing the needs of victims of crime in Indian Country in the Four Corners’ region. In addition to representatives of the four U.S. Attorney’s Offices and other DOJ agencies, conference participants will include tribal leaders, victim advocates and social services providers, tribal judges and prosecutors, and law enforcement officers.
The conference is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2016, with an opening ceremony that will include welcoming remarks by the Honorable Eddie Paul Torres, Sr., Governor of Isleta Pueblo, and the U.S. Attorneys. The opening ceremony also will include a vocal performance by Kansas K. Begaye, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who is a Native American award winning recording artist and a former (2013) Miss Indian World. The second day of the conference, Sept. 8, 2016, will begin with a flute performance by Robert Tree Cody of the Lakota Nation, a five-time Native American Music Award winner.
This annual conference, which is held in each of the four districts on a rotating basis, exemplifies the Justice Department’s commitment to addressing the high rates of victimization of our women and children in our Native communities. The conference theme - “Serving Victims: Restoring Hope" - embodies what the Department of Justice is striving to achieve in Indian Country; helping victims overcome trauma, and preventing these crimes from reoccurring in the future. The conference provides a forum for developing strategies for assisting victims of crime and tackling other serious public safety challenges confronting our Native communities. It provides an opportunity for DOJ officials to hear from members of our Native communities about their needs and to work with them to address their unique challenges.
OPEN MEDIA: The opening ceremony, which will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Isleta Pueblo Hotel and Conference Center from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, will be open to the media. Reporters who wish to attend the opening ceremony and/or schedule interviews with the U.S. Attorneys should contact Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 (office), 505-366-1463 (mobile), or alyssa.ferda@usdoj.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
