Peltier Page
Subject: Peltier Update and Action Alert!
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 23:50:17 -0700
From: Donna Wallach
FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!!!
CALL THE WHITE HOUSE DAILY!!!
GO! GO! GO!
IT'S NOT OVER!!!
202-456-1111
Dear Friends,
A decision on Leonard Peltier's petition for Executive Clemency has yet
to
be made. The White House has confirmed that the President will be
making
another round of decisions on clemencies and that an official decision
on
the Peltier case has not yet been made.
Meanwhile, our campaign continues to build strength. Mary Robinson, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has written to the
President to urge clemency. The Human Rights Commission is the second
largest body of the United Nations and Mary Robinson is the most
important
figure in international human rights. (letter below) She wrote the
letter
after the United Nations Workshop on Indigenous Media unanimously
supported
Peltier and asked her to intervene.
On December 31st Congresswoman Maxine Waters released a strong statement
supporting clemency and condemning Leonard Peltier's imprisonment.
(statement below).
On December 20, a former BIA empoyee who worked on Pine Ridge and
witnessed
the Pine Ridge reign of terror came forward with lengthy testimony about
what he experienced in a letter supporting clemency for Leonard Peltier.
(letter below).
We know everyone is anxious and it is very difficult not knowing what
will
happen in the next weeks. A decision could be made any day, although it
would not be unlikely for it not to be made until the last minute. We
have
until January 20. PLEASE hang in there. PLEASE keep up the phone
calls,
faxes, and letter writing. And continue doing outreach work in your
communities. You are doing great! Operators say they are getting lots
of
calls from us. If you want more to do, contact your reps in Congress
and
your senators. Urge them to make a personal call to the White House
supporting clemency. THANK YOU!
-In Solidarity,
LPDC
WHITE HOUSE:
1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. NW
WASHINGTON DC 20500
Phone. 202-456-1111
Fax. 202-456-2461
CONGRESSIONAL SWITCHBOARD:
202-224-3121
UNITED NATIONS
HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Address:
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 GENEVE 10, SWITZERLAND
REFERENCE: EIF/ai
22 December 2000
Dear President Clinton,
I should like to take this opportunity to raise for your
consideration the matter of Mr. Leonard Peltier, a prisoner in the
United
States of America whose case has attracted major national and
international
attention. As you will be aware, Mr. Peltier was tried, convicted and
sentenced to prison over twenty-five years ago in proceedings which have
raised serious due process concerns.
The case for clemency for Mr. Peltier has drawn support from a
remarkably broad range of observers and institutions, including the
European
Parliament, Amnesty International, President Nelson Mandela, Bishop
Desmond
Tutu and Ms Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Indigenous people from around the
world,
including the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, as
well as many others have expressed grave concern about the case against
Mr.
Peltier.
As United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, I would like
to
ask that you give all possible considerations to exercising your power
of
executive clemency in this case.
Yours Sincerely,
[ signature ]
Mary Robinson
High Commissioner for Human Rights
MAXINE WATERS
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
35th DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA
CHIEF DEPUTY WHIP
December 31, 2000
STATEMENT OF CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS URGING PRESIDENT CLINTON TO
GRANT
EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY TO LEONARD PELTIER
I join the many voices today calling on President Clinton to
grant
Executive Clemency to Leonard Peltier. Mr. Peltier, like Mumia Abu Jamal
and
Assata Shakur, is a victim of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
(FBI)
infamous Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO). During the 1960s and
1970s this program launched illegal and clandestine attacks on a wide
variety of politically active groups and civil groups and civil rights
leaders.
I have written tot he President in the past regarding Leonard
Peltier
's case and requested he grant Executive Clemency. The history of Mr.
Peltier's trial and conviction is a shameful stain on the U.S. Judicial
System. Leonard Peltier was denied some of the basic civil rights we
cherish. The government illegally extradited him from Canada using
knowingly
falsified affidavits. He was convicted of murdering FBI Agents Jack
Coler
and Ronald Williams with fabricated evidence, falsified testimony, a
judge
who has been described as racist by several people and documentation
that
important evidence was denied during this trial.
My heart goes out to the families of Agents Coler and Williams, as
well
as the families of the many Native Americans murdered during the same
time
period on the Pine Ridge Reservation. However, Leonard Peltier has spent
over two decades of his life imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
He
was made the target of the FBI's search for a killer they could not
find.
During one of Leonard's appeals, the government's own prosecutor
admitted
they did not know who actually killed the agents.
We cannot allow these injustices to remain unexamined or
uncorrected.
Those who maintain Mr. Peltier's guilt have used the same lies and
deceit in
continued attempts to deny Leonard his freedom. They must not be allowed
to
continue to disgrace this country and what it stands for, liberty and
justice for all.
I support the movement to free Leonard Peltier, not as an affront to
law
enforcement who put their lives on the line everyday, but as an American
who
believes in justice. For the sake of the country and in the name of
truth
and justice, Leonard Peltier must be set free immediately.
=====================
His Excellency Mr. William J. Clinton
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington, D.C.
U.S.A.
December 20, 2000
To the President of the United States
Office of the White House Council
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. President,
My name is Paul Berg and I am writing in regard to the case of Leonard
Peltier. As a BIA employee who served with the FBI during the siege of
Wounded Knee in 1973, I have information to share that may be of value
to
you. Prior to coming to the Pine Ridge Reservation I had served the
Vietnam
War with Naval Intelligence. I was part of a learn charged with locating
bunloare, artillery positions and staging areas around Khe Salm. My
military
experience provided me with limited, but useful familiarity with siege
operations.
After I was discharged from the Navy, I graduated with a Bachelor's
Degree
in Education at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. I was
a
teacher on the Pine Ridge Reservation from 1971 to 1976 and had a unique
opportunity to observe the tribulations first hand. Since leaving the
Reservation, I have lived and worked in Alaska as a bush village
teacher, an
education Specialist for the Alaska Department of Education and as a
faculty
member for the University of Alaska. In 1991 I was under contract by the
US
Department to write a paper for the Indian Nations at Risk Task Force
meeting at the White House. The US Dept. of Education graciously
referred in
their literature as a "national expert" in this field. I have also
written a
number of articles and co-authored several books in the filed of
education
technology. At the present time I am the owner and headmaster of Thunder
Mountain Academy, a private middle school in Juneau, Alaska.
In determining clemency for Leonard Peltier I believe that it is very
important that you be provided with insight into the historical and
social
contacts that lead up to the tragic deaths of agents Williams and Kohler
on
the Pine Ridge Reservation in June of 1975. In 1971, when I arrived on
the
Pine ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the weights of historical events
was
evident, even among the children. When I asked my seventh graders to
write
an essay entitled "Ten Years From Now," half my students wrote about
their
own death. The source of this hopelessness lay in the recent past.
The
Sioux
and the 7th Calvary clashed in the Battle of the Little Big Horn in
1876.
Subsequently the participating bands of Sioux were hunted down and
confined
in conditions of squalor on Federal Reservations. In 1980 the Sioux were
broken as a culture and as individuals. They collectively embraced the
Ghost
Dance, a form of cultural hysteria. Government agents at Pine Ridge
incorrectly interpreted the Ghost Dance as an aggressive threat to
non-Indians and called in the army. As fate would have it, the
responding
army unit was the 7th Calvary, an Army unit with a score to settle with
the
Sioux. At Wounded Knee Creek on a cold winter day, the 7th Calvary
extracted
revenge by massacring over 200 old men, women, and children.
It cannot
be
emphasized enough that the Battle of Little Big Horn was a battle
between
armed soldiers on both sides. Wounded Knee, in contrast, was a massacre
of
mostly unarmed people by a military unit bent on revenge. Women, and
children were found as far as two tribes from the site. The women had
thrown
blankets over the children so that they would not see their
executioners.
Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to several of the soldiers in
the
massacre. These medals have never been recalled. The people on Pine
Ridge
Reservation have lived with the collective cultural memory of a
government
massacre.
In 1973, on he second day of the siege of Wounded Knee, I brought a
powerful
field scope to the hills above Wounded Knee and began observing. After
an
hour I approached the FBI roadblock north of Wounded Knee and reported
the
construction of a bunker north of the Catholic Church in the village. I
also
told FBI agents that the bunker was no threat, only a symbol for the
media,
because it was being constructed far forward of the military coast of
the
hill in an exposed position. The agents received my report of the new
bunker
with alarm, but seemed unable to comprehend the tactical information.
These
agents had no military field experiences.
The next day I was reassigned from my normal BIA duties as a teacher
(the
schools were closed anyway) to become a "spotter" for the FBI. I was
armed
with an assault rifle and became part of the FBI operation. While in
this
role I was able to observe the FBI operation under live fire conditions.
There were several surprises. The first was that the FBI agents were
unprepared and untrained for a tactical operation on an Indian
Reservation.
They did not understand field operation and were physically, emotionally
and
doctrinally unprepared to conduct a siege. Secondly, most of the agents
were
flown in from urban areas and were disoriented to the point of
bewilderment.
It was skin to being placed in a foreign country with strange looking
people
without a roadmap or plan of action. Put in this situation, the younger
agents seemed particularly prone to overact to perceived threats. And
last,
as the siege progressed several of the less experienced agents did
brutalize
the local people.
The FBI had a thoroughly nasty habit of stopping their cars on
reservation
roads and aiming their M-16's at approaching vehicles. Since FBI cars
were
unmarked, people approaching in an oncoming vehicle would frequently
panic
and flee. The agents would pursue and apprehend the fleeing vehicle. One
of
them pursuits took place the FBI team was assigned to. An old man and
woman
with their six-year old grandson and ten-year old granddaughter were run
off
the road. Everyone was made to lay spread eagle on the ground. One of
the
FBI agents nudged the girl with the barrel of his weapon like he was
going
to roll her over. The child was trembling and whimpering in fear.
A
tribal
employee and myself reported this incident to the FBI leadership in Pine
Ridge. The two agents denied any wrong doings. However other federal
agents
in the vicinity had witnessed enough to verify our report. I do remember
a
man coming to see me who, I was told, was the number two FBI agent in
charge
of the siege. I explained to him that what was done to the child would
affect her for the remainder of her life. I explained to him that I was
a
teacher and that I did not want to be placed in situations where I would
be
in direct conflict with armed and out-of-control FBI agents. He informed
me
that two agents were being removed from the reservation immediately. He
also
told me that he needed me in this position and asked me to stay on as a
liaison officer with the FBI. He said that a number of the younger
agents
did not know what they were doing, they needed guidance or people were
going
to be killed. He also promised to support me if anything like this
happened
again. After he put that responsibility on me, I agreed to continue.
After this I received a message from the American Indian Movement. The
essence of the message was that as long as I "keep those animals from
killing anyone," they would have no problems with me. I was also advised
by
AIM to never fire any weapon and to never point any rifle at anyone.
Several weeks later I witnessed two young FBI agents panic under fire.
The
agents were on the perimeter in a bunker. They were under fire and, in
one
of strangest events I have ever witnessed, they seemed to lose their
nerve.
They overacted by yelling and screaming for help. I asked Federal
Marshals
to extract them in M113 (armored personal carrier), much to the chagrin
and
announcement of the Marshals.
The Wounded Knee siege lasted over 70 days. The two years following the
siege were a hell on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Scores of people were
killed in
beatings, drive by shootings or disappearances. Government records
substantiate at least 60 unsolved murders during this time. The actual
number may be as high as several hundred. The main instigators of the
violence were the Guardians of Our Oglala Nation-the GOON Squad. These
were
supporters of Tribal Chief, Dick Wilson. It was common knowledge on the
Reservation at the time that several members of the GOON Squad were
off-duty
tribal police. In the plains South Dakota, America had a situation
similar
to present day Columbia; the police were participating in killing squads
assigned to neutralize political opposition. These officers were being
paid
with Federal money and the situation was allowed to continue on a
Federal
Reservation. The victims of the violence were mostly full-blooded and
traditional Sioux, who were political, opposed to what they perceived as
corrupt, self-serving tribal leadership.
Many people on the Pine Ridge Reservation were living in fear of their
lives
during this time. I witnessed the effects of this pervasive fear on a
number
of occasions. Once, when I was driving along the road from Pine Ridge to
Wounded Knee I saw 8 or 9 vehicles stopped along the road. I stopped to
see
what was going on. People were lined up on the roadside looking down at
a
body of a woman in the ditch. Then I noticed that the body was moving.
No
one moved to help her. People were concerned, but too fearful to give
direct
help. To aid her would be to align one's self against those who had her
in
this condition. I, as a non-Indian and a mission teacher, (having
resigned
from the BIA after the siege) was under no such constraint. I went down
to
her and addressing her as "Grandmother" helped her up to my vehicle. No
one
helped. Fear of retribution overcame sympathy.
The traditional people on the Reservation felt abandoned by any form of
civilized protection. And in reality, this was true. When the GOON Squad
came to Wamblee to punish the community for opposition to tribal
chairman
Dick Wilson, the local residents were able to call through to the FBI
office
in Rapid City. The residents informed the agents that the community was
under attack. They were told that the FBI is an investigative agency,
not an
enforcement agency. The FBI took no action and the shooting went all
night
without intervention. One resident was killed that night. (This incident
was
verified by the US Commission on Civil Rights.)
When I worked with the FBI, several other liaison personnel and I made
efforts to educate the young FBI agents about the danger of acting
aggressively in this climate of fear. We explained that people were
afraid
of being killed. I remember after one particularly unnerving incident I
began shouting at several agents that they were going to get themselves
killed by pointing guns at people. I tried to impress upon them that
posturing with guns would not work on the Reservation. The "hands up,
I've
got you covered," mentality may work in urban America, but on the
Reservation, people assumed that if you had a gun pointed at them you
intended to kill them. They also knew that no one would be held
accountable
for their killing. We would tell the agents not to lead with a gun, but
instead lead with kindness. Call a man "Sir" and a woman "Ma'am," even
if
you are doing a march or taking someone into custody.
Intro this climate of intimidation, fear and killing two young agents
Williams and Kohler. According to testimony, agents Williams and Kohler
approached a compound with weapons drawn. That posture, at that place
and
time, was a signal which sent the message "We are going to kill you!"
They
were apparently aware of the historical legacy of sanctioned, official
violence on the Pine Ridge Reservation, nor were they aware of the level
of
fear is the minds of the traditional Sioux. Their deaths were a tragedy,
part of the on-going human tragedy of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The
manufactured evidence against Peltier is another issue that I cannot
address
in this letter, but it has been thoroughly documented by others.
What has happened, Mr. President, is that the Federal bureau of
Investigation demands a victim for the death of three young men. The
agency
and the Federal Government have taken no responsibility for the
condition
that lead the agents' death. An no one is concerned about the killing of
Native American Joe Stuntz during the same Incident that took the lives
of
agents Williams and Kohler.
Please above the politics and racism and allow Leonard Peltier to have
justice. Let him go home. I urge you to have the moral courage to do the
right thing. History will thank you.
Sincerely,
Paul Berg
Call the White House Comments Daily!
Demand Justice for Leonard Peltier! 202-456-1111
Be in New York City December 10th
Peltier Walk For Freedom!
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
www.freepeltier.org
Thought that you might like to know what
folks who don't want Leonard
Peltier pardoned are saying!
–Adrienne (UM Peace With Justice
Coordinator for Ca/Nev Conference)
Gayle Frink Schulz, President
WA State COPS
telephone: 425-557-7793
cell: 206-255-7229
fax: 425-427-5492
-----Original Message-----
Subject: IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED - SPREAD THE WORD
Suzie asked that you be notified that COPS has learned there is a plan
afoot
at the White House to grant a Presidential pardon to Leonard Peltier who
is
serving life for the execution murders of FBI Agents Williams and Coler
at
the Wounded Knee Indian Reservation in 1975.
According to what COPS was told, Hollywood liberals led by Robert
Redford
are flooding the White House phone lines seeking the pardon.
The Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI is launching a counter
movement to voice opposition to the freeing of this killer.
Please make a toll free call to 1-800-663-9566 which is the White House
opinion line and voice your opposition to freeing Peltier. We were told
that
the ladies who man the phone lines are very nice and will only ask what
state you are calling from. They reportedly told previous callers that
they
are getting a tremendous number of calls from Peltier supporters. Sadly,
Coler and Williams have no chance of going home to their families.
-Terrie
June 12, 2000
Leonard Peltier Reviewed For Parole:
United States Parole Examiner Refuses to Consider New Evidence
Native American rights activist, Leonard Peltier was reviewed for parole
today during a hearing held at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas.
The hearing was held to determine whether there is any reason why the Parole
Commission should change their 1993 decision to deny Peltier parole.
Today Peltier's representatives told the Commission that Peltier's health,
serious family needs, and his positive program achievements were all reasons
for the Commission to reconsider their denial of parole to Peltier. They
also argued that the Commission's original decision to deny parole was
wrong. They said the Commission has yet to justify their reasons for denying
his release in excess of what their guidelines recommend.
The Parole Examiner refused to read a report from Dr. Peter Basch who, after
reviewing Peltier's recent medical records, determined that problems with
Peltier's health could result in "recurrent central retinal vein occlusion,
stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure." The doctor also noted that
several of Mr. Peltier's health problems had not been treated appropriately
by prison medical staff.
Attending the parole hearing were representatives for Amnesty International,
the National Council of Churches, the National Congress of American Indians,
and the Assembly of First Nations. Legal council included attorneys Jennifer
Harbury, Carl Nadler, and former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Jean Ann
Day, survivor of the Pine Ridge "reign of terror" also testified.
The Parole examiner did not respond to pleas from Amnesty International or
the National Council of Churches, and he showed no interest in the eight
parole plans offering Peltier housing and employment from various Native
Organizations and tribes.
Furthermore, the examiner refused to accept or consider the 10,000 letters
collected over the last three months from US citizens, human rights
organizations, luminaries and members of the international community
supporting Peltier's release.
Without deliberation or the consideration of any documents presented, the
parole examiner recommended that Peltier's sentence be continued until his
next full parole hearing in 2008. Those in attendance reported that the
examiner wrote the denial while the presentation was still being made.
Peltier's defense council will continue to protest the Parole Commission's
denial of parole to Peltier in federal court. Supporters will continue
efforts to gain Peltier's release through a grant of Executive Clemency.
Leonard Peltier was originally convicted for the murders of two FBI agents
on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. However, formerly withheld documents
supporting Peltier's innocence would later force the prosecution to admit
that they could not prove who actually killed the agents. Despite this,
Peltier has remained in prison for 24 years. Amnesty International considers
him to be a political prisoner who should be immediately released.
Call the White House Comments Line Today
Demand Justice for Leonard Peltier! 202-456-1111
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
NOTE: Somehow, this page didn't get FTP'd up when it was written, & no one told me
about not being able to find it. While you're on the subject of Peltier, you may wish to
to to the top of this page and read the information there. Sorry 'bout this.
–Daniel
forwarded from Carolyn Scarr
July 7, 2000
------------------------------------------------
From: "LPDC"
Subject: Peltier Statement and a note
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 12:45:12 -0500
Dear friends,
Below is Leonard Peltier's statement for the 25 year memorial and honoring
at Oglala. We will be unable to answer emails until June 29. If you need
to communicate with us, please send your messages after June 28th. Thank
you.
In Solidarity,
LPDC
June 26, 2000
Greetings Friends and Supporters,
Twenty-five years has passed since the fatal shoot-out on the Jumping Bull
Ranch occurred, and for twenty-five years I have been forced away from my
people and my home, which I consider Oglala to be. I miss being with all of
you as I have always loved and respected the Lakota ways. I have always
admired the Lakota people, especially the Oglalas for their strength,
determination, and courage to continue the struggle to maintain our
traditional ways and sovereignty. Not a single day passes when I do not
dream of being home with you. Twenty-four years is a long time to be in
prison, but if I was out and you were facing the same kind of brutality you
faced under the Wilson regime, I would not hesitate to stand next to you and
resist the violent oppression you were forced to endure.
But I am not out, I remain locked up in here, and it has not been an easy 24
years. Prison is a repulsive, violent place to exist in. But again, none
of this could stop me from standing with you until the great Oglala Nation
is free. I know a lot of problems continue to exist for you. Corrupt tribal
government officials are still taking advantage of the people and crimes
committed against Natives receive little if no priority. It makes me very
sad to know that after everything we went through in the 1970’s our people
still continue to suffer so much. The memory of all of those who lost their
lives during that time also continues to haunt me
As we gather together during this time of remembrance, I am aware that the
FBI has also organized a 25-year memorial for their dead agents. I do not
fault them nor do I disagree with what they are doing. I think all people
should gather in memorial for any of their fallen. But, when you analyze
this whole event of theirs, you are slapped in the face with the cold
reality of racism. Not once have they, nor will they mention our fallen
warriors and innocent traditionalists slaughtered in the 70’s after Wounded
Knee II. They will not even as much as mention Joe Killsright Stuntz. We
cannot even get an acknowledgement from them that they were wrong in
supporting such a cruel and corrupt regime as Dick Wilson’s. They continue
to deny that any Indian people were killed as a result of their direct input
with the terrorist squad, the GOONS. The fact is they do not think of
Indian people as human beings. Whenever you deny that such atrocities
happen, and we know they did happen, it only means they don’t consider the
people who died to be human. Hitler’s regime felt the same about the Jews.
But please don’t misunderstand my frustration for a lack of sympathy about
the loss of the agents’ lives. I do feel for the families of the agents
because I know first hand what it is like to lose a loved one. I have lost
many loved ones through the years due to senseless violent acts. If I had
known what was going on that day, and I could have stopped it, I would have.
But in order for us to bring reconciliation to what was a very difficult
time we first must have justice. We must continue to ask when the lives of
our people will be given the same respect and value as others. When will
they stop carelessly locking up our people without applying the scrutiny and
care the judicial system is supposed to guarantee? When will guilty beyond
a reasonable doubt become a standard that applies to us? When will our
guilt have to be proven, rather than assumed? We suffer equally, but we are
not treated equally. There is hope for a better future and for peace. But
in order for us to live in peace, we must be able to live in dignity and
without fear.
In closing, I want to say that your voices are important and your
involvement in the effort to gain my freedom is crucial. You know the truth
and only you can express the reality of those brutal times. It is also
important that you explain to the youth what we stood for and why, because
they are our hope for the future. They can carry out our dream for our
people to have pride in their culture, good schools, food, and health care,
and most importantly, justice. Please know that I continue to be here for
you too, although I am limited in what I can do from behind these walls.
However, I will continue help in whatever I can from here. The one thing my
situation has brought me at least, is a voice, and my voice is your voice.
So please do not hesitate to write me or contact the LPDC to inform me of
what is going on.
I am growing older now and my body is beginning to deteriorate. I sometimes
wonder just how much longer I will be with you all on Mother earth. I hope
that it’ll be a while longer because I long to be with you, my family and
friends, to share some time together. If not, and I don’t make it home to
you, I will always be with you in spirit, at every Sun Dance and Inipi
Ceremony, remembering both the happy and the painful times we shared.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
Call the White House Comments Line Today
Demand Justice for Leonard Peltier! 202-456-1111
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
www.freepeltier.org
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