The Red Power Movement had a serious impact on society. The occupiers recorded their demands in a proposed treaty entitled, "The Proclamation of the Indians of All Tribes." Unfortunately, the occupation came to an end when the government began cutting off basic resources, such as electricity, to those living on the island. The occupation drew people from all over the United States, including members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and other civil rights organizations.
While there is no single event that triggered the Red Power Movement, the seizure and occupation of Alcatraz was surely its catalyst. On November 4, 1969, a coalition of Native American students led by Richard Oakes (Mohawk) and community members from the Bay Area began an eighteen-month long occupation of Alcatraz Island, also known as "The Rock." Demanding recognition and fulfillment of the promises made during the Civil Rights Movement and the Johnson Administration's War on Poverty, the group drew broad attention to the issues and concerns of Native Americans. The Proclamation of the Indians of All Tribes We will purchase said Alcatraz Island for twenty-four dollars (24) in glass beads and red cloth, a precedent set by the white man's purchase of a similar island about 300 years ago. We wish to be fair and honorable in our dealign with the Caucasian inhabitants of this land, and hereby offer the following treaty: We, the Native Americans, reclaim the land known as Alcatraz Island in the name of all American Indians by right of discovery. The Self-Determination Era (1968 - Present).The Allotment and Assimilation Era (1887 - 1934).Indigenous Peoples' Civil Rights Toggle Dropdown.Immigrant and Refugee Civil Rights Toggle Dropdown.Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.Civil Rights for the Disabled Toggle Dropdown.Transgender Rights in the United States.The 1990s, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and DOMA.National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.The War on Drugs and Mass Incarceration.