Richard Oakes, born on this day in 1942, was a Mohawk indigenous activist and leader within the Red Power movement, playing a prominent role in the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island from 1969 - 1971.

Oakes promoted Native American studies in university curricula and is credited for helping to change U.S. federal government "Termination" policies (policies regarding assimilation of indigenous people into the culture of the colonizer) of Native American peoples and culture.

In 1969, Oakes led a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island with LaNada Means, approximately 50 California State University students, and 37 others. On January 5th, 1970, Oakes' 12-year-old daughter, Yvonne, fell to her death from concrete steps. After her funeral, Oakes left the island.

In 1972, Oakes was shot and killed in Sonoma, California, by Michael Morgan, a YMCA camp manager. Allegedly, Oakes violently confronted Morgan, and Morgan responded by drawing a handgun and fatally shooting Oakes.

Oakes was unarmed when he was shot. Morgan claimed he acted in self-defense, and was acquitted on charges of voluntary manslaughter.

"We do not fear your threat to charge us with crimes on our land. We and all other oppressed peoples would welcome spectacle of proof before the world of your title by genocide. Nevertheless, we seek peace."

Richard Oakes

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  • buh [any]
    ·
    3 months ago

    I work at a small no name company and they listed a job opening for an entry level marketing job – it got over 4,000 applicants in less than a week

    Folks, the econony is cooked ☹️

    • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]
      ·
      3 months ago

      Generally agreed, but the entry level job market is always crazy starting in may. When the job market was hot a few years ago I remember simultaneously getting solicited to interview for R&D and quant positions I probably didn't qualify for and getting ghosted on jobs with 1000 applicants.

  • someone [comrade/them, they/them]
    ·
    3 months ago

    I changed all my dating app profiles to basically say that I will enthusiastically help potential cheaters cheat on their partners, with the utmost discretion.

    I am getting some fascinating replies. It's about a 1:3 ratio of people furious that I would do such a vile thing, compared to people venting to me about how they want out of their relationships and want to hook up ASAP for revenge.

  • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    found a cool ass pepper dude that sells a bunch of neat pepper plant varieties out of his house yesterday. i've been wanting to try a habanada plant (it's a habanero that doesn't make capsaicin!) but while you can find em online pretty easily no nurseries around here have them with the exception of this guy's driveway pepper operation. got to his place and he's like "wassup yeah you can just have the habanada, kind of a small plant this year so i don't wanna charge you." hell yeah dawg fuckin righteous. i ended up buying an aji lemon and a sugar rush peach stripey plant from him too, those were my backups in case he was out of the habanadas. so I've got those three and tobascos goin' this year.

    anyway i wanna make a super flavorful habanero sauce that's only a 🤏 spicy, I'll let you know if it works out in like three months.

    also

    Show

  • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    I love that racists thought they'd have allies in Japan over the black samurai "controversy". Maybe if there was a Chinese or Korean samurai.

      • Frank [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        3 months ago

        I remember long, long ago someone at Ubi said they were never going to do a game in Japan since it'd be too cliche. Making Yasuke a perspective character seems like a good way to evade at least some of that.

  • GeorgeZBush [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    It's weird, it's like a switch in my brain flipped and now I'm just motivated. I want to go back to school, find a new job, try new shit, etc. Been doing a lot of research in the past few days. Time to fucking move my life along.

  • CommunistBear [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    American lawn culture is deeply fascist and disgusting. I do not want a sterile monoculture of a lawn. I do not want to exterminate native species. I do not give a single shit about how "presentable" it looks. I do not give a shit about "weeds". I do not want to dump poison on the place both wild and domestic animals enjoy.

    Where once I had an oasis of beauty; filled with birds and bugs and chipmunks and rabbits. I now have a decapitated husk of it's former self.

  • Acute_Engles [he/him, any]
    ·
    3 months ago

    Watching a 4 hour anti racism video presentation for work imagining the racist guy who watches this and is converted to anti racism because of being made to watch a poorly edited video presented by people who are not normally public speakers.

    Also trying not to blurt out "you'd have to end capitalism to solve that!" Every 20 minutes

  • DengistDonnieDarko [none/use name]
    ·
    3 months ago

    Fuck joe Biden I hope he fucking dies I hope it's painful I hope he regrets everything he's ever done in his life I hope it's vuf king excruciating. I hope he dies sad and alone hooked up to tubes I hope he fucking. DIES

  • EstraDoll [she/her]
    ·
    3 months ago

    LEBRON JAMES

    REPORTEDLY ASKED LOCAL

    UNION BOSS

    FOR HELP TRACKING DOWN

    A MISSING FIREARM

  • AlicePraxis [any]
    ·
    3 months ago

    why does lemmy not have a "hide post" button? how are you gonna emulate the worst site on the internet but not implement its best feature?