Projects, Programs & Goals

A.I.M. San Diego Chapter

In San Diego County there are more Indian reservations (17 in all) than any other county in these United States, including one of the largest urban Indian populations (43,000) in the country. San Diego County has some of the most successful gaming tribes in California. The economic and employment impact Indian gaming has had on San Diego County and especially Indian reservations has been immeasurable.

1. Support A.I.M.’s 20 point position paper introduced in 1972.

2. Respect the confidentiality of information regarding individuals and Indian communities, Native culture and ceremonial practices and places of religious or cultural significance.

3. To promote Indian spiritually and unity in all endeavors undertaken by A.I.M. San Diego. To achieve Indian unity by not falling prey to the conquer and divide strategy applied upon Native American Indians since 1492.

4.  To develop a collaborative partnership among Native people of Urban Communities and Tribal Reservations in San Diego county through cohesiveness and understanding.

5. To promote mediation when called upon to assist in cases where Indian verses Indian is involved. In fact, the AIM approach explicitly seeks to find solutions through negotiation and peaceful means.

6. Support educational programs and cultural traditions in fighting problems of discrimination, high school drop out rates and high unemployment rates, alcoholism, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, poor housing, and substandard health and community facilities which adversely affect Native people.

7. To establish a “Safe Homes for Indians” program of skilled volunteers to assist families and communities with safe and livable residence through home repair projects.

8. Encourage Indian reservations and  communities with privatization of it security forces and encourage a warrior society for the sole purpose of protecting people, lands, animals, plants, and all other things important to our people, our culture and Indian sovereignty .

9. Support and assist the Kumeyaay of Southern California with cross border family visits. Encourage changes in federal cross border regulations and policies regarding indigenous Indian people.

10. AIM is concerned with the FBI’s treatment of Leonard Peltier, the Native American rights activist who Amnesty International calls a “political prisoner” who should be “immediately and unconditionally released.” Mr. Peltier has been imprisoned for over twenty-five years, following his highly controversial conviction of the 1975 murders of two FBI agents at Wounded Knee. Therefore, AIM supports the immediately and unconditionally released of U.S. political prisoner Leonard Peltier.

11. The American Indian lawsuit against the federal government has mismanaged Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust accounts and it has breached its fiduciary duties to the beneficiaries of the IIM trust . AIM supports historical accounting, fixing the system, establish a timetable which requires a full final accounting of the entirety of the IIM Trust, and demand accounting of all finds in deposit of invested in and for all assets held in Indian Trust since the passage of the General Allotment Act of 1887.

12. Implementing Elders Council to advise on all issues and future endeavors that A.I.M. San Diego may undertake.

13. Implementing youth programs for urban & reservation Indians in accordance with strict guidance of current laws both local, state and tribal laws as well as the traditional ways which will always prevail first as long as we remain respectful on all levels.

14. Revocation of the 27 Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The U.S. Congressional apology House Joint Resolution 98 & Senate Joint Resolution 37 of 2004 refers to Wounded Knee as a massacre, not a battle. The massacre was committed upon unarmed men, women, children and the elderly.

15. Removal from the U.S. Army 7^th Calvary Battle Pendant for the Wounded Knee massacre since it is now classified as a massacre and not a battle.

16. To encourage the building of a American Indian First People Memorial to be placed on the National Mall in Washington, D. C. as a testament to our first presence & self determination. The memorial will be a Healing Wall. Strategy & concept paper on file.

17. To utilize our weekly world radio talk show (American Indian Movement Today) to promote A.I.M.’s goal of Indian Unity through Spiritually. To openly discuss in an uninhibited environment issues and concerns important to Native Indians while ensuring program accessibility to other A.I.M. chapters and all Indian country.

18. Promote the establishment of Native Cultural Resource Management Programs on reservations and Indian communities for the express purpose of preserving and protecting cultural resources while over seeing excavation sites, sacred sites, repatriation, and  support the close monitoring of  the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, involved with tribal cultural and environmental projects and programs.

19. To support the policies and goals of the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee (KCRC).

20. Support California Indian communities and reservations in demanding the cease and desist of excavation of all Native American Indian human remains. Native Indian remains and artifacts found at burial sites belong to the descendants and tribes and these items have cultural and spiritual relationship with the deceased. Native American Indians can no longer be considered a scientific specimen or a collectible.

21. To educate and facilitate Native American tribes and communities recognized and unrecognized in claims, search and eventual repatriation of; artifacts, sacred, ceremonial, funerary and religious items, and human remains, from museums, private collections and anthropological research and archaeology repository centers.

22. Educate Native Indian monitors involving indigenous archaeology excavation sites to ensure government agencies, private developers and archaeologist are in compliance with NAGPRA- Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990.   

23. Attend conferences and workshop where anthropologist, archaeologist, universities, and museums personal gather to discuss Indian cultural issues. To educate and encourage the ideals that American Indians are a people, a community, a culture, vice an institution or a museum artifact for the general public viewing pleasure.

24. To change the NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) regulations to include non-federally recognized tribes thus ensuring the dignity to repatriate their ancestors and funerary items while protecting cultural items.

25. Mascot issues on all levels including professional teams.

26. Self determination of tribal blood quantum; new standards need to be set forth as well as control of those standards turned over to Native American Indians.

27. Soliciting new members to strengthen A.I.M. while encouraging members to participate at gatherings and support A.I.M.’s programs.

28. Encourage and assist economic development and small business entrepreneurship through the Native American Small Business Centers administrated by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Further, to ensure federally unrecognized tribes and Indian communities are included in all Indian business opportunities.

29. To encourage Native American small businesses and governmental agencies to employ and train Native American Indians while ensuring long term employment.

30. Support the purpose and positions as stated in the By-laws of  A.I.M. San Diego chapter, Article IV.

Nothing is written in stone and these programs & projects will change as developments warrant.