The Occupation of Alcatraz was a 19-month long protest which began on this day in 1969, when 89 Native Americans and their supporters occupied and reclaimed Alcatraz Island as indigenous land.

The protest was led by Richard Oakes and Grace Thorpe. The group chose the name Indians of All Tribes (IOAT) for themselves and lived on the island together until the protest was forcibly ended by the U.S. government.

IOAT claimed that, under the Treaty of Fort Laramie between the U.S. and the Lakota tribe, all retired, abandoned, or out-of-use federal land was returned to the Indians who once occupied it.

By late May of 1971, the government had cut off all electrical power and all telephone service to the island. Left without power, fresh water, and in the face of diminishing public support and sympathy, the number of occupiers began to dwindle. On June 11th, 1971, a large force of federal officers removed the remaining 15 people from the island.

A Look Back at the Occupation of Alcatraz, 51 Years Later

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