Now in its fourth week, the Glen Cove spiritual encampment in Vallejo, Calif., is still going strong as Native American activists and supporters continue their round-the-clock occupation of the sacred Ohlone burial site in an effort to protect it from development. (See previous SLFP news post.)
Although the protest has delayed construction at the 15-acre site, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District is pressing on with plans to install a parking lot, trails and visitor facilities by the shell mound known as Songorea Te. Last week, the GVRD board of trustees voted unanimously to forbid the public from the site once work begins, which would give police greater latitude to remove protesters.
The Protect Glen Cove Committee reports that the encampment has been receiving visits of support from from Native American representatives from throughout the region as well as other interested groups. A lawyer specializing in Native American law recently volunteered his support and services, as have some archeologists.
What You Can Do
- If you live in the Bay Area, you can get a first-hand update from organizers and learn more about ways you can help at an informational event on Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Station 40, 3030 B 16th St., San Francisco.
- Contact the Bay Trail project, a non-profit organization based in Oakland, that is administered by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) that was created to implement the Bay Trail, to ask them to divest their funding from the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) park development project at Sogorea Te / Glen Cove.
- Visit the spiritual encampment, write city officials or donate to the cause — these and many other ways you can help are described on the Protect Glen Cove Committee’s How to Help page.
- Learn more about the issue by reading the About and Frequently Asked Questions pages on the Protect Glen Cove website. You can also learn more about the history of Native Californian shell mounds in our sacred site report.