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February 28, 2023

American Indian Movement's Occupation of Wounded Knee Began 50 Years Ago
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This week marks 50 years since the start of the American Indian
Movement's 71-day occupation of the village of Wounded Knee on the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation. The occupation helped draw international
attention to the plight of Indigenous peoples within the borders of the
United States. The U.S. government responded to the occupation with a
full military siege that included armored personnel carriers, F-4
Phantom jets, U.S. Marshals, FBI, state and local law enforcement.
During the occupation, two Sioux men were shot dead by federal agents,
and a Black civil rights activist, Ray Robinson, went missing. The FBI
confirmed in 2014 that he had been killed during the standoff.


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