A protest sign reading “no one’s illegal on stolen land” was affixed to the public art piece ‘Oh, Great Spirit’ at the corner of South Higuera Street and Prado Road in San Luis Obispo on Feb. 25.
“Oh, Great Spirit” is an 800-lb, 12-ft bronze statue of an Indigenous man that was donated by the daughters of artist Nell Scruggs after her death and installed in 2011. It is “an homage to American Indians,” according to Scruggs. The adjacent plaque had been removed for what looks like some time.
The protest sign was hung between 7 and 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 25 and was still up at the time of publication.
The slogan on the sign, “no one’s illegal on stolen land,” has become a popular protest statement against ICE and President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Activists use this phrase to question the morality of the United States government making laws about who can exist on land they argue was taken from Native inhabitants through colonization.
