AIM Occupation of Wounded Knee (1973)

On the night of February 27, 200 members and supporters of the American Indian Movement took over the small village of Wounded Kneesau, Dakota. In order to guarantee sufficient time to voice their demands, the Indians detained the proprietor of the general store, along with members of his family and six others, who lived in the trading post complex. Almost immediately after having established their position in Wounded Kneesau, rose into the town were blocked, first by the American Indian Movement and the next day by U.S. marshals. Initial reports during the first full day of the Wounded Kneesau said that Aene was holding the 11 residents hostage, but during that first day, anyone living in Wounded Kneesau was free to leave contrary to reports by the Justice Department, who originally claimed that Aene Kidnap cried Gildersleven his family. Gildersleven, owner of the trading post, assured the Justice Department that residents were

unsafe, Wounded Kneesau, and could leave it any time but chose to remain. This cleared the way for members of the American Indian Movement to make their demands. Initially, those demands were for the Senate to begin an immediate investigation of conditions on the Pine Ridge Reservation, a study of the treaty violations by the United States against Native American Indian tribes, and an investigation and reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an agency of the Interior Department. South Dakota Democratic Senators McGovern and Abarask were asked to come to Wounded Kneesau to convey these demands back to the Senate. Also during the first day, buildings in Wounded Kneesau were being fortified and trenches and foxholes were dug strategically around the 42-acre compound. Every teen miles away in Pine Ridge, federal marshals were converting BIA reservation headquarters into a fortress, an anticipation of an attack by other Indians on the Pine Ridge. At first, 100-100 marshals were sent to South Dakota, but by the third day, more than 300 federal agents, including the FBI, had converged on State Highway 18 and the Bigfoot Trail

leading into Wounded Kneesau. In the afternoon of the third day, McGovern and Abarask arrived in Wounded Kneesau where they met with AIM leaders and the Pine Ridge Civil Rights Organization. The Civil Rights Organization originally asked that AIM helped them in their attempts to expose racial discrimination and other violations on the Pine Ridge reservation. The T. South Dakota Senators said they would try to set up negotiations between Indians in Wounded Kneesau and federal officials in Washington. Following talks with McGovern and Abarask in beginning with the fourth day of the Wounded Kneesau again, a cease-fire went into effect but was short-lived when armored personnel carriers over Anna Bunker knew what was referred to as the Demilitarized Zone. Also on the fourth day, the home of Aaron D'Assersa was firebombed. D'Assersa was a supporter of the American Indian movement and published a newspaper on the reservation. He was strong in his opposition to Richard Wilson and the Indians in Wounded Kneesau speculated that Wilson may have been somehow involved in the firebombing.

His began on the fifth day in Wounded Kneesau between the Civil Rights Organization and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ralph Erickson. The meetings were held in a teepee near the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and were not productive. Erickson did not return for negotiations on the sixth day. Instead, he expressed the government's position, which AIM leader said, asked for a surrender. The Indians rejected Erickson's proposal on the seventh day. That agreement provided that Indians in Wounded Kneesau could leave immediately and not be arrested, but would be subject to indictments by a grand jury being formed in Sioux Falls. By the eighth day, both the government and AIM leaders were rigid in their requirements for a settlement, and meetings outside Wounded Kneesau between AIM leaders and Justice Department brought no results. Richard Wilson, in the meantime, proposed his own solution when he announced that he would muster a 900 mayor army and take Wounded Kneesau back. On March 7, U.S. Attorney Erickson said the situation was nothing more than intolerable blackmail and set a deadline of 5 p.m. March 8 for people to leave Wounded Kneesau.

Additional federal marshals were brought in and more armored personnel carriers were stationed on the hillsides over Wounded Kneesau. The Indians there re-emphasized the minimum demands and stated they were prepared to die. By this time, there were more than 400 people in Wounded Kneesau. Dennis Banks, a national director with AIM, reaffirmed its stance in negotiations. This government is at our mission. We also know that this government is on its hands and knees. The ultimatum was given to them again to an negotiate or a massacre. They cut off the negotiation and were left with only one officer and that was to come in and massacre, they had chosen not to massacre at this point.

They admit they have no answer, they admit for the first time that this government has been wrong and so in our 10th, again we will make the first move to defuse the situation. We made it last night as a matter of fact some of you don't know, we were fired upon by FBI agents. We did not return any fire and we were not returning fire again tonight, however if any of our people are killed because of our dedication to defuse the issue, we can go into

no safety or any FBI agents that fire is upon us, it will be up to this government, again action for its correcting problems on this reservation and on other reservations, in the late time we remain at wounded me.