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Description
Two women, one wielding a shovel, appear to be threatening a man near an open trench, as another woman places her hand on the woman's arm. A second man is in the background. The following text was pulled from March 28, 2007 SF Weekly article titled "The little tribe that could" by Ron Russell In the summer of 1985, angered at perceived insensitivity toward Indian remains unearthed at a construction site in downtown San Jose, Rosemary Cambra --- with a camera crew from a local TV station looking on --- attacked field archaeologist William Roop with a shovel, opening a 2-inch cut on his right arm before onlookers restrained her. "The woman tried to kill me. You have to understand I don't assign much credibility to what she has to say," says Roop, who heads an archaeological consulting firm in Petaluma. The incident cost Cambra dearly. Originally charged with assault with intent to kill, she later pleaded guilty to simple assault and was sentenced to weekends in jail for a year (an accommodation by the judge, considering that she had three small children at home), plus three years probation. As a convicted felon, Cambra lost her nursing license and she and her husband filed for bankruptcy. For a time, the incident made her an Indian Country celebrity. It's a role she never relished, although she admits to keeping the shovel. "I've used it as a teaching tool for my children and grandchildren --- about what not to do."
Type
image
Format
Black & White, Resin Coated
Identifier
D9F83ACD-CF6A-4D96-9E52-469113399237 1996-130-22
Subject
Archaeological sites Political activists Nineteen eighties (LCSH) Ohlone Indians (LCSH) Shovels Women Crimes Indians of North America Cambra, Rosemary Sanchez
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