Human Rights A Day

American Natives Occupy Wounded Knee, South Dakota for 71 days. In 1968, a number of native Americans in Minneapolis, Minnesota created the American Indian Movement (AIM), whose focus was to improve the lives of urban Indians and native Americans’ relations with the federal government generally. AIM members brought attention to their grievances by occupying offices, sponsoring a high-profile road excursion called Trail of Broken Treaties and confronting authorities. At the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, some native leaders were opposed to their tribal president, Richard Wilson, whom they accused of mishandling tribal funds and misusing his authority. These leaders asked AIM for assistance when they unsuccessfully attempted to impeach Wilson in February 1973. About 200 AIM leaders and supporters on their way to Porcupine, South Dakota (on the reservation) stopped at the village of Wounded Knee on February 27, 1973, where they took over several buildings, including churches and the trading post