Richard Oakes Talks About His Daughter Yvonne

KRON-TV news footage from January 5th 1970 with reporter Mike Mills at the Public Health Service Hospital in San Francisco, featuring a brief interview with Mohawk activist and San Francisco State student Richard Oakes. Oakes was the president of San Francisco State's Native American Union and up until recently one of the main spokespersons for the American Indian occupation of Alcatraz island. As cited by the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, his eldest daugher Yvonne Rose Oakes slipped through an iron railing and fell 3 stories down a stairwell onto concrete, at a building on Alcatraz which was formerly used to house correctional staff. This happened on Saturday 3rd January and Yvonne was taken by a Coastguard cutter to the hospital, where she underwent emergency brain surgery on Saturday night. Oakes states that: "She's in a very serious condition right now and the doctors are pretty optimistic that she'll pull through" and confirms that he and his family will stay there until Yvonne recovers. Oakes revealed on January 7th that he planned to resume studies at San Francisco State and wouldn't return to Alcatraz. Yvonne passed away on Thursday 8th January without regaining consciousness and her funeral service was on Friday 9th at the Daphne Funeral Home (1 Church Street), with an interment on the Kashia American Indian Reservation at Point Arena, Mendocino County. Opens with brief views of Public Health Service Hospital where Yvonne Oakes was being treated. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks.