Nov. 21, 1969: 54 years ago, Nov 20 1969, 89 Native American activists occupied Alcatraz [...]

54 years ago, Nov 20 1969, 89 Native American activists occupied Alcatraz Island. The occupation, led by an ad-hoc group calling itself Indians of All Tribes, continued for nineteen months

Since 1963, there had been numerous symbolic attempts by Indian activists to reclaim Alcatraz. After a failed attempt earlier that month, IOAT, led by Native student activists like LaNada Means and Richard Oakes, succeeded in establishing a protest encampment

The occupation quickly expanded beyond the point of a symbolic gesture; IOAT issued a statement declaring the island “Indian Land” and announcing an intention to construct a Native American Studies Center, a Spiritual Center, an Ecology Center, and a Training School

The occupation received enthusiastic support from local left and countercultural groups, which provided supplies (defying a blockade), transportation, and public solidarity. The International Longshore & Warehouse Union provided technical support and raised thousands of dollars

Inspired by the occupation’s militancy, creativity, and hopefulness, Native people poured into Alcatraz. Some stayed for a short time, some for months. At its peak, the island housed hundreds of Indian people, who set up schools, kitchens, clinics, and a radio station

After over a year on the island, supplies and support dwindled, tensions among occupiers became more pronounced, and negotiations with authorities came to nothing. It ended in a federal raid in June 1971, by which point barely more than a dozen occupiers remained on Alcatraz

IOAT followed the Alcatraz occupation with an occupation of an abandoned Nike missile base in Tilden Park. Although a center was not built, the action dramatically escalated and energized the movement for Native American rights and self-determination
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