Alcatraz Island Occupation
The Alcatraz Island Occupation refers to a significant event in Native American activism that occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Following the closure of the federal penitentiary in 1963, the first symbolic occupation took place on March 9, 1964, when four Sioux individuals claimed the island based on the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. This act set the stage for a larger occupation that began on November 20, 1969, when eighty-nine members of the coalition known as Indians of All Tribes occupied Alcatraz, asserting their rights to the land and advocating for the establishment of an Indian museum and educational center.
Over the course of the occupation, the number of participants fluctuated, reaching up to three hundred at one point, but negotiations with federal authorities ultimately failed to secure a plan for self-determination. The occupation highlighted the broader struggles faced by Native Americans, including issues of termination, assimilation, and impoverishment. The movement garnered national attention and renewed focus on Native American rights and needs, culminating in the removal of the last occupants by federal marshals on June 11, 1971. The legacy of this occupation continues to resonate within the context of Native American activism and cultural preservation.
Alcatraz Island Occupation
Date: November 20, 1969-June 11, 1971
A nonviolent nineteen-month occupation of the deserted federal prison on Alcatraz Island by the Indians of All Tribes.
The Occupation
The federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay closed in 1963. Four Sioux invoked the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which stipulated that any abandoned federal properties would be turned over to the Indians, and staged a symbolic occupation of the prison on March 9, 1964. On November 9, 1969, fourteen members of the coalition known as Indians of All Tribes staged a second symbolic takeover, determined to bring about change in federal policy regarding the basic rights of Native Americans, particularly their health, educational, and cultural needs. They were expulsed after nineteen hours.
On November 20, 1969, eighty-nine Native Americans occupied and claimed Alcatraz Island on various legal and moral grounds with a plan for the island that involved establishing an Indian museum, educational center, and memorial. The “Isla de Alcatraces,” as it had been named two centuries earlier, was claimed “from the fact of previous possession or ownership” under Title 25, U.S. Code 194. Up to three hundred Native Americans occupied the island, but their numbers diminished as negotiations between the Indians and federal authorities failed to produce a plan that allowed the Indians to achieve their goal of self-determination. On June 11, 1971, armed federal marshals removed the last fifteen Indians from the island, although during negotiations U.S. Attorney J. L. Browning had promised no action would be taken against the inhabitants.
Impact
The Native American unity movement of the twentieth century focused national attention on civil and judicial arenas. Issues faced by Native Americans following European invasion and settlement include termination, assimilation, relocation, and impoverishment. Occupation of the island once again focused attention on these issues.
Additional Information
Peter Blue Cloud edited Alcatraz Is Not an Island (1972), a collection of perspectives on the occupation written by members of Indians of All Tribes.