Native Americans and the city of Vallejo have been at odds over the planned development of a disputed burial site in a 15-acre park in the Glen Cove area. Since last week, protesters have been illegally camping and using fire pits, vowing to prevent the planned addition of a parking lot, bathroom, and trail to land they say may contain sacred artifacts and burial remains.
Yesterday, a federal mediator brokered a deal to prevent arrests of the protesters, whose leaders have agreed to meet with Greater Vallejo Recreation District officials in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
Vallejo police Lt. Joel Salinas told the Vallejo Times Herald that "our position is to not arrest anyone unless there's a court injunction or it's a matter of public safety. Even if we arrested anyone, it would be a cite and release case."
Last Friday, KQED news intern Kyung Jin Lee went up to Vallejo to cover the protest. Below are her interviews with Corrina Gould, of Indian People Organizing for Change, and Steve Pressley, Maintenance and Development Manager for the Greater Vallejo Recreation District.
Corrina Gould said the absence of artifacts and burial remains in the disputed area has not been determined yet. She said she had come to "resist and occupy this land until we can come up with a better solution for this area... Just because people made laws after they came into this land does not mean that the laws beforehand should not exist....If bulldozers come, we have a plan on how we're going to stop them...in a non-violent way."