Apache holy ground at Oak Flat on the Tonto National Forest has been vandalized for a second time.
According to the group Apache Stronghold, late last Thursday evening they found three crosses toppled and ceremonial eagle feathers on the ground. They say a similar incident occurred in March of 2018 at the scared site slated for one of the nation’s largest copper mines.
Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and other Indigenous people and advocacy groups have fought the mine, and are calling on U.S. Forest Service law enforcement to investigate what Apache Stronghold calls a "hate crime."
The group says it’s unclear whether damage has been done to other sites at Oak Flat, especially areas exposed by the Telegraph Fire last summer.