Gov't restores Native American graffiti at Alcatraz

One of the Native American Alcatraz graffiti signs left on the island during a protest (Wikicommons)Creating graffiti on a national park space is a federal offense. So, it?s more than a little unusual that the National Park Service has decided to not only allow, but has actually restored some graffiti left during a protest held by Native Americans inside the former prison site Alcatraz.

"We restored it because it has a social significance," Alcatraz site supervisor Marcus Koenen told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It is part of what this park is all about."

The once-notorious prison is now part of a federal park. From the winter of 1969 through the spring of 1971, a group of Native Americans occupied the space after the prison had closed.

The restoration project took about a year and cost $1.5 million.

"PEACE AND FREEDOM WELCOME HOME OF THE FREE INDIAN LAND," reads the sign painted by hand on a prison water tower.

Eloy Martinez, a Ute Indian who lives in Oakland, was hired to restore the sign painting.

In a document entitled the ?Alcatraz Island Proclamation,? the protesters outlined their hopes to turn the former prison site into a Native American cultural center or university.

"It would be fitting and symbolic,? the proclamation reads, "that ships from all over the world entering the Golden Gate would first see Indian land and thus be reminded of the true history of this nation."

The rest of the proclamation outlines a very sarcastic and interesting set of proposals from the group, including an offer to buy Alcatraz for $24 worth of beads and red cloth, ?a precedent set by the white man's purchase of a similar island about 300 years ago.?

In the proclamation, the group says Alcatraz would be a perfect fit as a reservation, because like other lands given to Native Americans by the U.S. government, the island is ?isolated from modern facilities, and without adequate means of transportation ? has no fresh running water ? there are no health care facilities,? and ?The population has always been held as prisoners and kept dependent upon others.?

Other pieces of graffiti left on the island include inscriptions such as, "Custer had it coming.?

The National Park Service consulted with the American Indian Movement and the Indian Treaty Council as they worked to restore the sign.

"We all agreed we were doing the right thing. We were honoring an important part of the island's history," David Dusterhoff, project manager for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, told the Chronicle.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/federal-government-restores-native-american-occupation-alcatraz-graffiti-201458906.html

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