Update

American Indian Movement 5th Annual West Coast Conference to Meet in San Francisco

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Briefs. Discussion »

Clyde Bellecourt AIM Co-Founder

Native Brief: SAN FRANCISCO - The American Indian Movement, AIM, 5th Annual West Coast Conference will meet in San Francisco beginning November 21 - 24, starting at 9 am to 5 pm (doors open 8 am). The Conference will be held at the Baha’i Center located at 170 Valencia Street, between 14th and Market.

Clyde Bellecourt, White Earth Ojibwe, one of the co-founders of the American Indian Movement, will attend the conference that is expected to draw 150 people to the Bay Area.

This year's agenda we will discuss current issues identified as affecting our nations and peoples, and learn together how to develop and coordinate a strategy to address and effectuate the policy change we see necessary at the local, national and international levels that are of concern to Indigenous peoples.

Chief Terrance Nelson from Manitoba, Canada will be the special guest at the conference. He will speak about the threat tar sands poses for his people, and approximately 2 million more people (dependent on clean water aquifer) all along the 1,700 mile pipeline construction from Canada through six states to the Gulf of Mexico.

"This year's conference we are concentrating on many things happening to our local American Indians. We have been working with hate crimes against Indians. We have had to get the FBI involved in some cases here in the San Francisco Bay Area, northern California and Nevada," said Tony Gonzales, director of the AIM West. "This is a serious issue and we are hoping we can do something to stop this violence against our people,"

The Conference is intended to bridge together Indigenous peoples of all nations living in communities in and around the bay area, and the western region of North America to come share experiences and issues of their concern. These communities also include our relations from the Pacific Ocean, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America.

Learn more at AIMWest.info »

updated 3:40 pm est; posted November 15, 2011 10:50 am est