quote [ Banks was a founding member of the American Indian Movement and a leader of the armed occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973.

He co-founded the American Indian Movement, or AIM, in 1968 to advocate on behalf of native people and against discriminatory federal policies and practices. The next year the group, including Banks, began a lengthy occupation of Alcatraz Island. That occupation captured national attention for their protest over, among other things, living conditions on reservations.

But it was the 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee that propelled Banks, in particular, to the spotlight. ]