American Indians removed from Alcatraz, Part I

About This Item

KPIX's Belva Davis reports from Alcatraz on June 11th 1971, where American Indian activists have just been removed from the island by armed Federal authorities. Includes extensive views of Alcatraz, a press conference held by Federal representatives (including the U.S. Attorney for Northern District of California James L. Browning, Jr. and Regional Director of the US government's General Services Administration Thomas E. Hannon) and interviews with the American Indians including Delbert Lee of the Sioux nation and Oohosis of the Cree nation, who describe first hand accounts of their arrest. When asked by a reporter to verify if the government's claim they were forced to intervene because of the theft of copper wire and to repair the lighthouse is true, John Trudell (Santee Sioux) replies: "We were negotiating with the government on the quiet and the meetings started April 13th of this year. And they guaranteed us during these meetings that there would be no arrests and no one would be taken off the island ... until negotiations were completed. And they broke their word on it." Also includes brief scenes of Yvonne Oakes (Richard Oakes's step daughter) climbing on a concrete wall. She died after a fall on the island, in January 1970.

Event
Occupation of Alcatraz
Type of material
archival news film
Duration
10:06
16mm color magnetic sound film
Rights for this video belong to
CBS5 KPIX-TV
Date aired
6/11/1971
Originally aired on
KPIX Eye on the Bay News
Identifier
KPIX 105401-1
Views
11867

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