Chicago Indian Village facts for kids

The Chicago Indian Village (CIV) was a group of Native Americans in Chicago. They protested in 1971 and 1972 to get better housing. Their goal was to help Native Americans in the Chicago area. They wanted to improve living conditions for their community. The CIV was a short-lived but important group.

Why the Chicago Indian Village Started

In the past, the U.S. government had policies that encouraged Native Americans to move. These policies, like the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, asked Native Americans to leave their reservations. They were encouraged to move to big cities. By 1969, Chicago was one of seven cities with many Native American residents. More than 10,000 Native Americans lived there.

In 1953, Native American leaders in Chicago created the American Indian Center (AIC). This center offered social services and cultural programs. It helped young people and elders. In the late 1960s, some Native Americans, including AIC members, formed the Native American Committee (NAC). They felt the AIC should focus more on education and helping people out of poverty. They also wanted more self-determination for Native Americans.

Leaders of the NAC included Steve Fastwolf, Mike Chosa, and Faith Smith. Mike Chosa had learned from Saul Alinsky, a community activist. Alinsky wrote a book called Rules for Radicals.

The Wrigleyville Protest Camp

In early 1970, a Menominee woman named Carol Warrington had a problem. She was a mother of six children. Her apartment was in very bad condition. She stopped paying rent to make her landlord fix it. On May 5, 1970, her landlord forced her and her children out. Her apartment was near Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs play baseball.

The NAC decided to help Carol Warrington. The American Indian Center had a large teepee. They used it for public events. Mike Chosa borrowed the teepee. He set it up on an empty lot across from Warrington's old apartment. This spot was very visible, right next to the baseball stadium. Chosa asked other Native Americans to join him. He demanded fairness for Warrington. He also demanded better living conditions for all Native Americans.

Students from DePaul University helped the protesters. They gave them portable toilets and $300. News reporters called this protest the "little Alcatraz Movement." This was because it was similar to the Occupation of Alcatraz. That protest was happening in San Francisco at the same time.

After a few days, the protest group split. Many people followed Chosa. They wanted to keep the camp going near the stadium. Other members, from the AIC, felt the protest had done its job. They thought it had raised enough awareness. Steve Fastwolf led some NAC members away. They wanted to go back to focusing on education. The protesters who stayed with Chosa formed the Chicago Indian Village (CIV).

Other Protest Locations

In June 1971, Chosa led his followers to a new spot. They occupied empty land near Lake Michigan. This was at Chicago's Belmont Harbor. This site used to be a place for anti-aircraft missiles. The CIV group talked with government groups. They asked for 200 housing units for Native Americans at Belmont Harbor. They also wanted a school for 500 Native American children.

The Chicago police removed the protesters after two weeks. This happened on July 1, 1971. Clyde Bellecourt, a co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), visited the camp. He came with six other AIM members. They left because of disagreements among some of the protesters.

For the next year, the CIV continued to negotiate. They camped at different places. These included Big Bend Lake in Des Plaines, Illinois. They also camped at another old missile site. This one was near the Argonne National Laboratory.

Eventually, a helper for a U.S. Congressman found them a place to stay. Her name was Joanne Maxwell. The group moved to Camp Seager. This was a summer camp run by the United Methodist Church. It was near Naperville, Illinois. This was a temporary solution. The cabins were not built for winter use. By the summer of 1972, the group had fewer members. Their energy was lower. The Chicago Indian Village then ended.

What the Chicago Indian Village Achieved

The Chicago Indian Village did not last long. It ended by the summer of 1972. However, it still achieved several important things:

• The group put pressure on government offices in Chicago. These included the Federal Regional Council Task Force on Urban Indians and the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). This pressure led to a special task force. This task force tried to meet some of the Native Americans' needs.
• The CIV was given a seat at the table. They could discuss solutions with the OEO and the Federal Regional Council.
• The CIV won temporary housing at Camp Seager. They also got emergency services for the camp. There was a promise to build 132 public housing units for Native Americans in Chicago. A cultural center was also promised.

However, these promises depended on many conditions. The CIV members and city agencies needed to meet these conditions. These conditions were not met. So, the CIV group broke up.

See also

• Urban Indian
• Native American civil rights
• Red Power movement