Thousands gather for Indigenous Peoples’ day on Alcatraz Island
Sign up below to get Mission Local’s free newsletter, a daily digest of news you won’t find elsewhere. While the rest of the city slept, Alcatraz glowed as thousands circled around a bonfire lit on the island in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.The annual sunrise gathering began before dawn on Monday to commemorate the original occupation of Alcatraz island, the ancestral lands of the Ohlone, by “Indians of All Tribes” between 1969 and 1971. Organizers from the International Indian Treaty Council say that action “sparked the National and International Indigenous Peoples movement for rights and justice.”This year, the event drew around 2,500 people, council liaison Morning Star Gali estimated. The crowds did not shy away from an early morning boat ride. The council’s executive director, Andrea Carmen, arrived around 2:30 a.m to set up for the dozens of indigenous performers who […]
