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Pine Ridge Remembered
With the consciousness and breath given to me by the Creator of all
things, I send greetings to all my friends, the staff of Indian
Voices and to you the readers.
I am happy to be able to bring you word that after an intense
period of reorganization and restructuring the International office
of The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee located in Lawrence, Kansas
is fully staffed and operating to coordinate worldwide events to
focus attention on the case of Leonard Peltier.
Once again on June 26th the friends, family, participants and
survivors will gather to share the remembrances of the events that
forever bound them together 28 years ago On June 26, 1975 at a place
known as the Jumping Bull Compound on the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in South Dakota. A place that was really the home of the
Jumping Bull family, a beautiful Grandma, Grandpa and their extended
family.
Part of this extended family, in the traditional Indian way,
were members of a group of AIM volunteers. These volunteers had come
to provide help and service to traditional members of the Lakota
tribe held hostage in their homes by the violent methods used to
keep them from tribal votes and elections. Methods that had resulted
in 63 unsolved deaths.
That day a gun fight erupted between 2 unidentified occupants of
a new vehicle and the group living at the compound, attempting to
protect the women and children with them. During the shooting that
day 2 men, later identified as FBI Field Agents, and a young Indian
man were fatally shot. The government tried 3 men for murder of the
FBI Agents and all were found "not guilty". So, using manufactured
evidence, outright lies, and a prejudiced judge, Leonard Peltier was
eventually convicted and held solely responsible. He was sentenced
to serve to consecutive life sentences. The government has tried to
make Leonard’s case just fade away, but friends, family and
dedicated volunteers have not allowed that to happen. In 1990 a
Freedom Of Information Act lawsuit was filed a nd won. Details of
misconduct, manufactured evidence, falsified ballistics, coercion of
witnesses forcing people to make false statements then knowingly
presenting false evidence. In 1995 the government prosecutor was
forced to admit to the parole board that they, in fact, DID NOT KNOW
who killed the 2 FBI agents. If forced to re-try Leonard, he could
not gain a conviction because the evidence used to gain the 1st
conviction had been discredited.
In 2000, after 8 years of intense lobbying and displays of
support from millions world-wide calling for Clemency, justice is
ignored and while Clinton grants mercy and clemency to scores of
questionable convicts, including 1 who had defrauded thousands of
elderly Americans of millions of dollars, fled overseas, hid out and
used his ill-gotten gains to fund anti-American activities. Clinton
caved into Justice Department Pressure and FBI intimidation and left
office ignoring Leonard’s Clemency Appeal. Not approving it, not
denying it, just ignoring it altogether. In return the Justice
Department ignored allegations of purgery in the whole Monica
What’s-her name scandal.
Unfortunately that seems to be the status of justice in the
"land of the free". Enough is enough! Please, we need your support
to put an end to this travesty. Contact the local support group at
(619) 442-9203 for details. Also keep an eye out for information in
future issue of Indian Voices.
In the names of all my relations
Mitakuya Oyatsin
Tim
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