alone after Her mom used to work just one shift a week but now she worked full time Three days a week Patsy looked after herself in the afternoons until Dad got home from the garage Her mom didn't get home until after dinner Patsy was proud that her parents trusted her And she knew they were saving the extra money to buy a house hopefully before the new baby came Still sometimes she missed her mom Arriving at school Patsy parked her bike and headed to class The first subject of the day was social studies She thumped her textbook down on her desk She didn't like social studies and current events day was the worst Once a week Miss Ashman assigned a student to bring a newspaper article to discuss Patsy's classmates usually brought whatever was on the front page That usually meant something about the Vietnam War or the Watergate scandal Patsy hoped she would never hear another word about either Maybe if their discussions accomplished something Patsy would feel different But her class just went round and round repeating the same things and getting nowhere 10
Was President Nixon a great leader or a thief and liar Should the United States fight communism all over the world or mind its own business Miss Ashman was no help If anyone asked which opinion was right Miss Ashman just said Good question What do you think The days Patsy had to present the article were the worst She hated the empty feeling she got in her stomach with all the other kids watching her And Miss Ashman was sure to ask her a question with no clear answer Patsy preferred math class Every problem had one right answer If she ever got stumped she could look in the book for a solution Patsy's best friend Laura slid into the desk in front of her Hi Patsy Laura said Cute sweater Thanks Patsy smiled glancing at the yellow flowers on her top Whose turn is it for current events Laura asked It was Carlos last week Maybe Frank or Donna I hope it's not Frank Laura said He thinks everyone is secretly a Communist 11
Patsy giggled until Miss Ashman clapped her hands to start class Franklin you're up Miss Ashman said nodding to Frank She never used nicknames Laura turned so Patsy could see her roll her eyes Frank stood at the front of the class to read the newspaper clipping THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGISTER February 28 1973 INDIAN PROTESTERS TAKE OVER SOUTH DAKOTA DISTRICT On February 27 hundreds of members of the Oglala Lakota Tribe met with leaders of the American Indian Movement AIM After the meet ing about 200 people caravanned to Wounded Knee the site of an 1890 massacre Some members of the group held a memorial service at the grave site of the victims of the massacre Meanwhile armed militants in the group quickly took control of the small district By evening police and FBI agents had surrounded the area Protesters and police have ex changed gunfire The government is calling the protesters insurgents and insisting they leave the district The protesters are demanding the land promised in an 1868 treaty They are also accusing the government of violating their civil rights The district of Wounded Knee is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation It is home to a couple dozen homes three churches and a trading post The trading post which is owned by a white man sells snacks and souvenirs to tourists visiting the site of the massacre Some witnesses say protesters looted the trading post 12
At the mention of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Patsy gasped Her father was from Pine Ridge Her grandma aunt Marilyn and cousin Hank still lived there They didn't have a telephone so they kept in touch with letters But Patsy wasn't that keen on writing letters so she mostly heard news from Dad If he remembered to tell her Patsy hadn't been to Pine Ridge since her grandfather's funeral more than three years ago But she was shocked that something like this was happening With its rolling hills Pine Ridge had seemed so peaceful An interesting situation Franklin Miss Ashman said Please tell us your thoughts I think those Indians better get out of that town Frank said Patsy's stomach felt like it was folding in half She wondered if any of those Indians were her family and if they were safe Hmm Miss Ashman said Why is that Well you can't just go around taking over other people's towns It's not right They're probably Communists 13
