Judgment at Alcatraz by Dave Edlund (carter reed .txt) 📕

“Come with me.” Sacheen held out her hand. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Toby eyed her before relenting, concluding that there was little to lose by going along. Side by side, they walked out of the former barracks.

Leonard stood arrow-straight in the middle of the paved courtyard between the ferry dock and the barracks. The Barrett rifle was slung diagonally across his back. His eyes were narrowed, and his lips pursed in a studious mien. He was gazing across the bay, at the receding Coast Guard cutter, with a countenance devoid of any expression that might convey regret or remorse.

“Leonard.” Sacheen approached from behind. “I’d like you to meet Toby.”

The two women stood side by side, and Leonard turned to face them.

“Toby is from the Modoc and Klamath tribes. She came here today with about two dozen other protestors.”

“I see.” Leonard looked beyond her, to the building where the tourists were being held. “Why are you with them?”

Toby turned toward Sacheen. “Well?”

“I invited Toby and all of the other activists to join our cause. In the meantime, I thought it best if everyone was together inside. That way, we can make sure no one is accidentally injured.”

His gaze moved from Sacheen back to Toby.

“I assume Sacheen has explained our objectives?”

“She said your goal is the return of historical tribal lands and sovereignty for First Nations People. Personally, I can’t begin to imagine how you plan to achieve that.”

“You don’t agree with our aims?” Leonard said.

Toby shook her head. “Not at all. Of course, I agree with your goals. But this isn’t the nineteenth century anymore. Time has moved on. What once was sacred hunting grounds two hundred years ago, is now covered by cities, highways, factories, and farms. Are you proposing all that is taken down, bulldozed? And what of the people who inhabit those towns and cities?”

“It would be a fitting turn of the tables for the white man to be forced onto reservations,” he said. “But no, that is not our idea. However, an appropriate sum should be paid to the tribes for the use of our land.”

“You really think you can achieve that?”

Leonard shrugged. “Why not? There is precedent. Eminent domain allows the government to seize private land, provided compensation is paid to the landowner. The government has already taken our lands—sacred lands. They just haven’t paid for them yet.”

Toby had to admit that there was a certain amount of logic to what he was saying. But she also knew that logic and reality didn’t have to be one and the same when it came to governance and politics.

“It’s going to take more than a sit-in on this island to convince even the state government, not to mention the federal government, to accept your proposal. The expense could be astronomical.”

“All to be negotiated,” Leonard said. “But likely in the hundreds of billions of dollars.”

“Do you really think you can win?”

“We do.”

“Yeah, right.” Toby chortled. “And what have you been smoking?”

Leonard narrowed his eyes. “We have the means to make this happen.”

“Oh, really? Let me tell you something. Whoever you are negotiating with is just going to play along, tell you what you want to hear, until they manage to sneak a SEAL team, or whatever, onto this rock. There will be a gunfight. It will probably be ferocious. And you and all your men will be killed.”

“We have the hostages. How many?” he said to Sacheen.

“Over two hundred.”

“You’re not that naïve,” Toby said. “Or that stupid. Let me do the math for you. Let’s say you have two hundred hostages, and you want two hundred billion dollars. That’s one billion per person. Who’s gonna agree to pay that? No one will.”

Leonard turned his head to Sacheen, smirking.

“You’re right. She is smart. And cool under pressure.”

Toby said, “My advice—cut your losses while you are still breathing.”

“Your life hangs in the balance, too,” Sacheen said.

Toby rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know. Whatever happens to me is beyond my control. The two of you,” she pointed at Leonard and Sacheen, “you’re making the decisions. Not only concerning your lives, but the lives of everyone here. Every man, woman, and child here is innocent. They have no say in your dispute, or ability to influence the outcome.”

Leonard said, “Ever since Europeans landed on the shores of America, our ancestors have suffered. They were innocent, too.”

“No one can change what happened hundreds of years ago.”

“If you think this is only about historical grievances, you’re mistaken. Let me explain my family history.”

“Will I find this interesting?” Toby raised her eyebrows.

“Hear me out before you judge.”

Toby frowned. “Fine.”

Leonard nodded. “Let me begin with introductions. My name is Leonard Cloud. And this,” he waved a hand toward Sacheen, “is Sacheen Crow Dog, a member of the Raven Clan of the Tlingit tribe. My family owns a small parcel of land in northern Nevada, on the Duck Valley Reservation. I grew up there in a modest house. My mother was Shoshone-Paiute, and my father was of the San Carlos Apache Nation. None of this will have any significance to you, but I want you to understand my cultural identity. Our cultural identity.”

Toby nodded.

“For you to understand my passion, you need to know my recent family history. The brother of my mother was John Trudell. He died a few years ago. Do you know of him?”

“Yes, I do. Didn’t he broadcast the radio program from Alcatraz, during the occupation?”

Leonard nodded. “That’s right. My uncle was among those idealistic protestors who came to Alcatraz in 1969. He broadcast on the UC Berkeley radio station at night. They called his show Radio Free Alcatraz. Anyway, he remained active in the leadership of the American Indian Movement—what some called the Red Power movement—for many years. In fact, he was the national chairman of AIM throughout most of the 1970s. The Movement was mostly peaceful, but there were a few exceptions.”

“You mean the incident at Wounded Knee?” Toby said.

“The standoff lasted seventy-one days. Two of