Bureau of Indian Affairs building takeover

The Bureau of Indian Affairs building takeover refers to a major protest led by Native Americans who were members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) at the U.S Department of the Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C. from November 3 to November 9, 1972. Approximately 500 American Indians activists participated in the take over of 1951 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, D. C., the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the time. This was the start of their culmination of their cross-country journey in the Trail of Broken Treaties, their goal was to draw attention to the United States government failure to address the issues facing Native Americans such as living standards and violations of their treaty rights. According to Dana Hedgpeth of The Washington Post, "An estimated 500 to 800 Native Americans took part, taking over the four-story granite headquarters of the BIA. Their siege bore little resemblance to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. It lasted much longer — six days vs. several hours. And the Indians didn’t storm inside but rather walked in and refused to leave".

The protest began with a group of AIM representatives traveling to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices at the national headquarters building, seeking to negotiate with federal officers on improving Indigenous housing and any other related issues. However, after feeling that the government was acting unfairly by rejecting their demand the protesters began the takeover, occupying the building. A federal court soon issued an order for the protesters to vacate the building on the first night of the takeover but they refused to comply.

The AIM affiliated protesters overturned desks and tables to barricade the windows and entrances to defend against a potential police attack. Some set fires in interior offices and the marble lobbies, destroying many historic documents. Protestors were starting to run low of supplies after several days. They refused to allow law enforcement or any other government official to enter the building, instead they had two children from BIA employees bring over some supplies. After a week of occupation, the protesters left, with some taking BIA documents with them, and having caused an estimated $700,000 in damages. With the loss of the documents, the Washington Post claimed that the destruction and theft of records could set the Bureau of Indian Affairs back 50 to 100 years.

Then President Richard M. Nixon had an interest in promoting tribal sovereignty, as having ended the termination of tribes that was part of 1950s policy. Alongside his interest in the decentralization of government, Nixon fundamentally agreed that tribes should manage their operations. As a result of the AIM occupation of the BIA's offices, Nixon signed the Menominee Restoration Act to restore one tribe to federally recognized status and supported legislation that offered tribes control over their own operations and programs.