Members of the American Indian Movement [AIM] occupied parts of Pine Ridge in protest of the brutal killing of two of their own, the disgustingly mild prosecutions for those murders, and the beating of the mother of one of those two when she attempted to seek justice from the U.S. government. The AIM were seeking their rights under U.S. law and for the U.S. government to honor treaties with the American Indian that had been ignored for more than a century. It was a lawful - and a peaceful until attacked - protest.

In response, the FBI fired almost 200,000 rounds at the protesters [the protesters did fire weapons in their own defense, but only over their attackers heads ] in an illegal show of force. The siege at Wounded Knee lasted 71 days. This was largely ignored by the U.S. population, due to media indifference

Russel Means is an activist. He is NOT a representative of the Lakota tribe. He ran for president of the tribe once and lost. He has about as much authority to withdraw from treaties as I do (being part Indian myself).