Richard Oakes Led the Alcatraz Occupation — And Was Killed in His Prime

In 1969, Native activist Richard Oakes led a group representing several tribes to occupy Alcatraz Island, claiming it as the site of a new Native nation. Three years later, the charismatic face of the Red Power movement was dead, shot by a white neighbor in rural Sonoma. What happened? And how did Oakes’ killing change the course of Native activism? Reporters Jason Fagone and Julie Johnson dug into the past to uncover truths that have been buried for 50 years. …