Back in '72-'73 timeframe when AIM decided to take Wounded Knee and Pine Ridge back from the US government (and Peltier murdered the FBI agents), western South Dakota became an armed camp. One of my better friend's parents owned the gerneral store there at Pine Ridge - only to have the AIM terrorists (yes, that's what they were) burn them out of there. AIM also took control of a former US Air Force recreation area in the Black Hills (Victoria Lake originally), which became a long-term encampment and garbage pit. AIM kept an armed perimeter there in the Hills at this camp - and said that they were going to take back all of the Hills - another friend of mine was killed by the perimeter guards. (.357 shot upwards from below the ear point blank, never to appear in the news.) In Rapid City it was common during the takeover to see groups of three or four ranchers walking around downtown carrying shotguns - in the hopes of finding a large enough group of Sioux to qualify as a "war party". (Groups of six or more Sioux males were considered a war party by the law at that time - still.) This was only 1 year after a huge flood had swept through town killing 240 people, and the town was still rebuilding physically and mentally.
The entire takeover was finally resolved in a manner that was NEVER disclosed to the public. In the final days, the US Government granted the wishes of AIM (and supposedly those of the tribe) and allowed their secession from the USA. AIM then declared war - over the radio. Bad calculation. Ellsworth Air Force Base just outside of Rapid City then dispatched 6 B-52s to fly a simulated Arc-Light strike over Pine Ridge - with the center mass alignment of the run over the barricaded AIM group. Flight level 500' AGL. End of secession, end of occupation, as evidently some of the AIM members had seen the results of Arc-Lights over in 'Nam. News reports showed that AIM "negotiated" an end to the takeover - not that they were shown their future by the Air Force.
Aim was then, and is now nothing but a group of race-baiting, whining, self appointed "victims" that have failed miserably at assimilation. I could fill hundreds of pages with examples from the twenty years + that I lived there with them. They made me ashamed of my heritage, and affirmed in me why the rest of our people in this land have always hated the Sioux. They are the lowest of our people - prairie hyenas - without honor.