On November 2nd, 1972, several hundred Indigenous people occupied the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Washington, DC. They presented 20 demands for better conditions for Indigenous peoples in the United States, including reform of the BIA, enforcement of existing treaties, protection of Indigenous lands, and improved treaty procedures.

Over the following days, BIA offices in other cities were also occupied by Indigenous protesters in solidarity with the occupation in DC. The Seattle office of the BIA on Eastlake Avenue was occupied on November 7th. On November 8th, the protesters in Washington, DC ended their occupation after the federal government agreed to create a task force to study issues related to Indigenous communities. The Seattle occupation ended when they received news of the agreement.

This image shows some of the protesters in the Seattle BIA office, possibly speaking to the media about the protest and their demands. Jim Robideau (Dakota), a spokesperson for the Seattle protesters, is seated second from left wearing a hat. The Seattle protest remained nonviolent throughout, and protesters cooperated with the BIA staff in handling incoming phone calls.

Caption information source: “Protesting Indians abandon sit-in here,” by Martin Works, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 8, 1972, page 5 ; “Indians end D.C. sit-in,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 8, 1972, page 23.