KTLA News: "Dennis Hastings interviewed about occupation of Alcatraz" (1971)

[Dennis] Um...the plan is...is to...for our kids...is to...we want our own education for our kids. To have our kids to come up in the world on say choose what they want rather than the government say "this is what you're going to do" because most of the Indians go to government school. This is what the government forces the children to go to and their ideas, theories and everything is taught... it's brought...is taught to our kids...physically and mentally... ...harassments upon the kids. And so we hope to get our own schools, everything, so we can run it for once and say "well, we want to teach our own kids" which... been neglected all these years. [Reporter] Dennis, what does your group hope to accomplish by this new occupation? Uh...we don't real expect to accomplish anything but yet to try to get a case with the government to show that we do own the land and for them to bring out title. And as far as us being together is at which we always been together on reservations...and so it shouldn't really accomplish anything but... to bring back our religion, our spiritual ways and plus for the government to relieve a lot of the society pressure that's on us, that was given...it was...we were inherited from them. [Reporter] But why did your group select and abandon Nike missile base to occupy? [Dennis] It was the nearest thing to take over right after Alcatraz been invaded by federal marshals. It was the nearest thing to go to. At the same time they had a another occupation in Black Hills and another one up in Michigan. So it's just three of them just triggered off right away because it shows you that Indian people just didn't want to be put down right away and they're just... we want to come back as much as we can. [Reporter] Was there a feeling of isolationism on the island of Alcatraz? Whereas in Richmond you won't feel this isolation? [Dennis] Yes, there really was isolation out there for a while there's a lot of boats wouldn't even come by and it was just...just being lonely out there for a long time... because of the water being rough a lot of times and a lot of times we couldn't get water out there... for a while there we didn't have any kind of food to come out there because of the rough waters and it was just a just a rough time. But as far as Richmond is that when you had everything convenient for us we have doctors, nurses and etc. [Reporter] What are some of the plans for the occupation? Do you plan to turn it into some type of an Indian commune for instance? Will life be different on the base as compared to Alcatraz? [Dennis] Well... it's really hard to say because we Indians we know we believe in the Earth no matter where we are. We can be on a dirtiest part...of...on the reservation, are either on the states or anything...that we respect it as Earth because this is what the government did...did to us on reservation is the most... place...the the worst place they can find on the state was our reservation and reservation is a war camp this is what was really regarded as before and then it changed into a reservation, so... after 300 years of... existence of the white people that came here, is that we are still living in war camps and being taught and educated by them. [Cameraman] Okay, now stay just like that... [Reporter] Dennis, why did the Indians select an abandoned Nike missile base for their new occupation? [Reporter] What does your group hope to accomplish by the occupation of the Nike missile base? [Reporter] How will life be different on the base as compared to Alcatraz?