American Indian Movement

In 1975, AIM activists engaged federal officers in a firefight at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that resulted in the death of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. ^{3 4 5} AIM activists occupied a small Native American settlement in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973 for 71 days. The Wounded Knee occupation resulted in two deaths, a paralyzed U.S. marshal, 12 wounded, and 1,200 arrests. ^{6 7 8 9 10} AIM also occupied the offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as a part of the “Trail of Broken Treaties” in 1972. ^{11 12 13}

AIM has demanded transfer of 110 million acres of land to American Indian control, repeal of government jurisdiction on Native American lands, recognition of Native American sovereignty, ¹⁴ the abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other claims. ¹⁵ The group has also called pioneer Kit Carson an “Indian murderer,” ¹⁶  toppled a statue of Christopher Columbus, ^{17 2} and organized rallies with the left-of-center NDN Collective. ¹⁸

History and Leadership

American Indian Movement was co-founded by Clyde Bellecourt, Vernon Bellecourt, ¹⁹ Eddie Benton Banai, ²⁰ George Mitchell,  Dennis Banks, ²¹ and others on July 28, 1968. ^{22 23 24 25} The group was originally formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to address poverty and police relations in the city after many American Indians moved to Minneapolis as a part of the Urban Relocation Program. ²

In 1972, AIM delivered a message to the Nixon administration demanding restoration of treaty-making, transfer of 110 million acres of lands from the U.S. government to tribal authorities, repeal of state jurisdiction on tribal lands, abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and tribal immunity to regulation of commerce, among other things. ¹⁵ AIM also established “survival schools” for tribal education as an alternative to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ government-funded schools in 1972. ²⁶

Prior to his death in 2007, AIM co-founder Vernon Bellecourt met with foreign leaders such as Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to direct AIM’s overseas work. ¹⁹

As of June 2022, Frank Paro was National President of AIM and Lisa Bellanger was the executive director of the AIM governing body, the American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council (AIMGGC). ^{27 28 20}

Activities and Funding

AIM is governed by the American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council (AIMGGC), which consists of executive leadership in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and sanctioned chapters in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Indiana and Kentucky, Oregon, Michigan, Florida, ²⁹ North Carolina and Minnesota. AIM also has support groups in Pennsylvania, California, and Missouri. ³⁰ AIM opposes the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. ³¹

In 2020, AIM referred to pioneer Kit Carson as an “Indian murderer” and urged the removal of a statue of Carson from the larger Denver, Colorado, pioneer monument. ¹⁶ In 2022, AIM organized a rally with the left-of-center activist group NDN Collective to support a class action lawsuit against the Grand Gateway Hotel and Cheers Lounge in Rapid City, South Dakota. ¹⁸

In August 2020, American Indian Movement leader Michael Forcia was charged with felony destruction of property for allegedly toppling a statue of Christopher Columbus at the Minnesota State Capitol. ³² Forcia said, “for healing, this needed to happen,” in reference to the toppling of the statue of Columbus. ^{33 2}

Militant Activities

In 1975, American Indian Movement activists engaged Federal officers in a firefight at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation resulting in the death of two FBI agents and a Coeur D’Alene Native American named Joseph Stuntz. ³ AIM supports the release of imprisoned AIM activist Leonard Peltier, ³⁴ who was convicted of aiding and abetting in actions that resulted in the death of two FBI agents in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation shootout. ^{4 5}

In 1973, the group occupied the small Native American community of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, for 71 days—which led to a standoff that resulted in two dead protestors, one paralyzed U.S. marshal, 12 wounded, and 1200 arrests. ^{10 35 8}

In 1972, AIM activists occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) at the Department of Commerce for six days during the “Trail of Broken Treaties” march in Washington, D.C. ^{11 36 37}

In 1971, a group of Native Americans led by AIM activists scaled and occupied Mount Rushmore to demand the recognition of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, resulting in 20 arrests. ³⁸ This came after other Native American Activists led by United Native Americans, including AIM organizer Madonna Thunderhawk, set up camp on top of Mount Rushmore in August 1970 to protest U.S. government violations of the Treaty of Fort Laramie. ^{39 38 40} In November 1970, AIM activists also occupied Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. ^{41 42 43 44} AIM activists were involved with the 18-month occupation of Alcatraz Island by Native American Activists that was started by activist group “Indians of All Tribes” and ran from November 1969 to June 1971. ^{45 13 46}