Video: '27th February 1973: Occupation of Wounded knee by the Oglala Lakota and the American Indian Movement'

(Tuesday, February 27, 1973, approximately 8:00 p.m. CST) — The 71-day Wounded Knee Occupation began tonight when approximately 200 Oglala Lakota (sometimes referred to as Oglala Sioux) and followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) entered the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, United States, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and allegedly burglarized a store for weapons.

The protest against the federal government and its policies related to Native Americans followed the failure of an effort of the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) to use impeachment to remove tribal president Richard Wilson, whom they accused of corruption and abuse of opponents.

Additionally, protesters criticized the United States government’s failure to fulfill treaties with Native American people and demanded the reopening of treaty negotiations to hopefully arrive at the fair and equitable treatment of Native Americans.

Video: 'Wounded Knee '73 | American Indian Movement'

Oglala and AIM activists controlled the town for 71 days while the United States Marshals Service, FBI agents, and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area.

The activists chose the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre for its symbolic value.

The occupation attracted wide media coverage, especially after the press accompanied two U.S. Senators from South Dakota to Wounded Knee.

The events electrified Native Americans, and many Native American supporters traveled to Wounded Knee to join the protest.

At the time there was widespread public sympathy for the goals of the occupation, as Americans were becoming more aware of longstanding issues of injustice related to Natives.