Indians Ripped Up Federal Building; Indian Vandalism to Federal Building Is Set at $530,000
Indians Ripped Up Federal Building
Protesting Indians caused $530,000 damage to the office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, government officials said today. They estimated that employees will not be able to return to work until at least a week from tomorrow.
Inspecting the debris-strewn four-story building, investigators found hundreds of thousands of letters and other official documents several inches deep.
The General Services Administration said structural damage of $250,000 includes the cost of repairing holes in the walls, smashed windows, ruined plumbing, and removing grafitti on the walls.
Files Not Counted
Another $280,000 was estimated to be lost in typewriters, rugs, office furniture and other equipment. Not included was the cost of damaged files and broken Indian paintings, pottery, baskets and sculptures.
The Indian demonstrators, numbering about 400 at one time, took hundreds of documents with them as they left yesterday, but Interior Department spokesmen said they still don't know which documents they are.
Departing before a court ordered deadline, some of the Indians had said the documents contained "highly incriminating evidence" against Western congressmen.
Employees in Building
The BIA said a handful of employs were in the building today to retrieve property "but most won't be back until Nov. 17 at the earliest."
One effect, a BIA spokesman said, will be that many advisory and policy functions will be suspended, perhaps delaying decisions on many Indian matters.
However, the 200 BIA schools will not be affected because their headquarters are in Albuquerque, he said.
The departing Indians also left behind a roomful of Molotov cocktails and fire extinguishers filled with gasoline. Indians repeatedly warned newsmen not to smoke on the second floor during the last few days of the occupation because of the gasoline that had been spread along the halls.