American Indians march at fort

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Updated: 1/29 12:01 am

ST AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A dozen American Indians and supporters marched around the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine on Monday.

The group was demonstrating against the digging up of their burial grounds in the city.

They're taking their concerns to the city, saying they want the city to not only stop digging up the graves, but also to honor them and their sacrifices.

They're actually asking city leaders to show respect by bulldozing the fort.  

"We are very hopeful that one day, as the Berlin Wall came down, this fort will come down and the reason being it would be a minimum step to healing," said supporter Shannon Larsen. "The indigenous people of this county and other counties have never ever been honored."

She says they want to see the city hand over the site of the fort to the indigenous people and allow them to turn it into a monument for their nation.

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3floridarays - 1/29/2013 9:51 PM
0 Votes
Considering the Native Indians in the St. Johns county area died out in the late 1600's, the people protesting are obviously NOT descendants of those people. The fort isn't going anywhere, nor should it. There are already numerous local parks, landmarks, and exhibits recognizing and honoring the Timucuan Indians, who were the native tribe of the area. Bulldozing a valuable piece of American history is absurd.

imtellin - 1/29/2013 5:29 AM
0 Votes
it would make an excellent location for a casino & would do wonders for honoring all those other indigenous indian tribes withs casino's & gov't handouts !!! give them some property in west augustine & see if they can make a go of it there ??? they caan put the whole tribe to work,, what with valet parking,, dealers they already have, just the wrong kind of native,,hostesses, security !!! the fort was to repel the english & held only a few indians for several years, till arrangements could be made !!!

Truthseeker - 1/29/2013 4:50 AM
0 Votes
RadNOP, I wouldn't bet on that "...zero chance in hell..." in today's society. If the politicians think they can get a single vote by appeasing some minority group, they may jump right on it.

Silver Dragon - 1/29/2013 4:08 AM
0 Votes
"...it would be a minimum step to healing." Really. Hmm, now that's odd. So the countless exhibits in museums all over the world devoted to the Native American people, the minority status granted as a Native American and therefore eligibility for scholarships and job opportunites, whole sections of history books, books solely dedicated to Native American traditions and folklore, apologies made several times both publically and privately, national historical landmarks devoted to Native American leaders, and television shows that outline the suffering and betrayal the Native American people went through mean absolutely nothing? Nobody (including myself who has Cherokee on both sides of my family) has healed at all? And bulldozing a national landmark is the only thing that will aid in the horrible still-going-on predjudice of the proud Native Americans? Look, people, nobody's grave should be desecrated. Let the dead rest in peace. That I agree with. But whining, crying "discrimination," and demanding the bulldozing of a national monument is an unproductive, foolish, and childish.

RadNOP - 1/28/2013 10:35 PM
0 Votes
There's about zero chance in hell that the city is going to bulldoze this landmark and hand over the property.
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