Bay Area Native Americans Monday continued to protest the construction of a parking lot on an ancient burial site in the Glen Cove Waterfront Park in Vallejo.
Mark Anquoe, a member of the Kiowa tribe, said the protesters were told they had to be off the property by sundown.
"We plan to stay until the situation is resolved," Anquoe said.
Another protester, Norman "Wounded Knee" DeOcampo, said there were about 60 protesters Monday morning and that there could be arrests this evening for "camping in the park."
"This is not a park. This is the sacred burial site of our ancestors," DeOcampo said.
Vallejo police Lt. Abel Tenorio said this afternoon that police do not plan to make any arrests unless there is a public safety issue or a court injunction.
Glen Cove Waterfront Park, a 15-acre stretch of land and water in the southern part of Vallejo, is slated to have its natural trails enhanced and receive a new parking lot sometime this year, according to the Greater Vallejo Recreation District.
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But the area, which features a protected shoreline and groves of eucalyptus trees, is also the final resting place of many Native Americans dating back more than 3,500 years, according to DeOcampo, a Vallejo native.
Shane McAffee, general manager of the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, said today the protesters have to leave the area by sunset but that construction on the site is not imminent.
"We're still trying to work out a schedule with our contractors," he said.
District officials were to meet this afternoon with a mediator from the U.S. Department of Justice, McAffee said.
"(The mediator) has been led to believe there have been civil rights violations," McAffee said. "We are willing to negotiate with anyone who has legal standing," he said.
"We have park rules. The park closes at sunset. We have been lenient the past few days," McAffee said.
The Sacred Site Protection & Rights of Indigenous Tribes said Friday it has filed a civil rights complaint against the recreation district and city of Vallejo.
