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American Indian Movement Southern California

Website:

aimsocal.org/
Location:

Santa Barbara, CA
Formation:

Unsanctioned by American Indian Movement in 2020
Type:

Native American Advocacy Organization
Director:

Walter “Graywolf” Ruiz

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American Indian Movement Southern California (AIM SoCal) is an unsanctioned, autonomous, left-of-center Native American activist organization. 1 AIM SoCal is an inter-tribal organization has brought lawsuits against the federal government on Native American sovereignty and treaty issues,2 worked to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from the California State Capitol,3 called for legalization of all illegal immigrants in the United States,4 and worked for “sacred sites protection,” preservation of Native American language and culture, and other issues. 5 AIM SoCal was unsanctioned by the grand governing council of the national American Indian Movement (AIM) on June 16, 2020. 6

AIM SoCal co-hosted a rally to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from the California State Capital in June 2020 with left-wing groups such as Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, Bayan SoCal, GuateMaya LA, California Poor People’s Campaign, far-left socialist organization Struggle for Socialism (La Lucha por el Socialismo), White People 4 Black Lives, Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice, the Statewide Coalition Against Racist Symbols7 and the radical left-wing group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER Coalition). 8 It seeks the removal of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (D) as a member of the left-of-center Check the Sheriff Coalition. 9

History and Leadership

American Indian Movement Southern California (AIM SoCal), also known as AIM Santa Barbara,10 is an unsanctioned, autonomous, left-of-center Native American activist organization. 11

On June 16, 2020, AIM SoCal was unsanctioned by the grand governing council of the national American Indian Movement for disrespecting numerous members and former members; lack of communication with leaders of neighboring AIM chapters and infringing in their area; lack of accountability for chapter leadership’s speeches against other California tribes and in support of the oil industry; and endorsement of non-sanctioned AIM chapters. In a letter removing AIM SoCal’s sanctioning, AIM national leadership also ordered the group to stop representing the American Indian Movement and threatened legal action. 12

Walter Ruiz was the director of AIM SoCal at the time of the organization’s removal of sanctioning by AIM. 13

Activities and Funding

Despite being unsanctioned by the national AIM leadership in June 2020,14 AIM SoCal has continued to use the name AIM SoCal as it engages in activism on Native American issues. 15

In 2021, AIM SoCal co-hosted an “emergency rally” in Los Angeles to end the U.S. blockade of Cuba and demand no military interventions in Haiti;16 partnered with the radical left-wing group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER Coalition), Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice, and Bayan USA for a caravan event to honor “lost children and survivors” at the Sherman Indian School Cemetery;17 and co-sponsored a May Day event with other left-wing organizations that called for legalization of all illegal immigrants in the United States. 18

In 2020, AIM SoCal co-hosted a rally to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from the California State Capitol with left-wing groups including Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, Bayan SoCal, California Poor People’s Campaign, far-left socialist organization Struggle for Socialism (La Lucha por el Socialismo) White People 4 Black Lives (within the far-left network Showing Up for Racial Justice),19 and the Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice. 20

Also in 2020, AIM SoCal promoted an event called “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage Against Colonialism.” 21 This event called for “autonomous, anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, and anti-fascist actions” to combat a “plague of colonialism” that allegedly destroys Native American lands; addressed missing or murdered “womxn,” girls, transgendered, and “two-spirit” relatives; opposes “resource colonialism,” colonial borders, and the “settler colonial state” in support of “total liberation.” 22

On May 8, 2020, AIM SoCal hosted an event led by “Resist US-Led War Movement” on a people’s teach-in on “Revolutionary Women and the History of Mother’s Day. 23

AIM SoCal supports the removal of so-called “racist mascots” from sports teams,24 has shared posts from the left-of-center Indigenous Environmental Network,25 and seeks the removal of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (D) as a member of the left-of-center Check the Sheriff Coalition. 26

References

  1. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived February 11, 2021. Accessed July 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210211194554/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  2. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived June 21, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165645/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  3. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived June 21, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165645/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  4. Facebook Post. May 1, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/2123130941160115/?type=3&source=54&ref=page_internal.
  5. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived June 21, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165645/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  6. Tweet. June 19, 2020. Accessed July 25, 2021. https://twitter.com/AmericanIndian8/status/1273997717526597633.
  7. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived June 21, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165645/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  8. Facebook Post. AIM SoCal. July 9, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/2178944415578767/?type=3&source=48&__tn__=EH-R.
  9. “About.” Check the Sheriff. Accessed July 28, 2021. https://www.checkthesheriff.com/about.
  10. Facebook Post. American Indian Movement of Central Texas. Posted June 18, 2020. Accessed July 27, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/aimcentraltexas/posts/statement-from-the-new-leadership-of-aim-national-lisa-bellanger-and-frank-paro-/3047237772032174/.
  11. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived February 11, 2021. Accessed July 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210211194554/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  12. Facebook Post. American Indian Movement of Central Texas. Posted June 18, 2020. Accessed July 27, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/aimcentraltexas/posts/statement-from-the-new-leadership-of-aim-national-lisa-bellanger-and-frank-paro-/3047237772032174/.
  13. Parker, John. “International Human Rights Day actions condemn U.S. crimes.” Struggle for Socialism / La Lucha por el Socialisimo. December 30, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2021. https://www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2019/12/30/international-human-rights-day-actions-condemn-u-s-crimes/.
  14. Facebook Post. American Indian Movement of Central Texas. Posted June 18, 2020. Accessed July 27, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/aimcentraltexas/posts/statement-from-the-new-leadership-of-aim-national-lisa-bellanger-and-frank-paro-/3047237772032174/.
  15. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived June 21, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165645/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  16. “Emergency Action: No U.S. Intervention in Cuba or Haiti.” Facebook Event. July 17, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/events/642571470039499?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A%223%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&aref=3&__tn__=HH-R.
  17. Facebook Post. AIM SoCal. July 9, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/2178944415578767/?type=3&source=48&__tn__=EH-R.
  18. Facebook Post. May 1, 2021. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/2123130941160115/?type=3&source=54&ref=page_internal.
  19. “Who We Are.” White People 4 Black Lives. Accessed July 27, 2021. https://www.awarela.org/white-people-4-black-lives.
  20. “American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter.” American Indian Movement Southern California Chapter Webpage. Accessed Via Web Archive. Archived June 21, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165645/https://aimsocal.org/index.html.
  21. Facebook Post. AIM SoCal. October 8, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/1945549122251632/?type=3&source=54.
  22. Facebook Post. AIM SoCal. October 8, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/1945549122251632/?type=3&source=54.
  23. Facebook Post. AIM SoCal. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/1786234038183142/?type=3&source=54.
  24. American Indian Movement of Southern California. Twitter Header Image. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://twitter.com/AIMSo_Cal/header_photo.
  25. Facebook Post. AIM SoCal. May 6, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/AIMSoCa/photos/a.1033547440118476/1785432438263302/?type=3&source=54.
  26. “About.” Check the Sheriff. Accessed July 28, 2021. https://www.checkthesheriff.com/about.
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American Indian Movement Southern California


Santa Barbara, CA