INTERNATIONAL WALK ON THE BORDER
FOR JUSTICE FOR LEONARD PELTIER
OCT 17-23 1994
NORTHWEST LEONARD PELTIER
SUPPORT NETWORK
P.O. BOX 5464
TACOMA, WA 98415-0464
(206) 383-9108
Leonard Peltier is a scapegoat in an attempt to cover
up the long standing policy of the U.S. government's ethnic
cleansing of the original caretakers of this land. Though
this same government portrays the image of peacemaker,
justice seeker, and guardian of human rights, the truth is
that for over 200 years it has conducted a policy to
destroy Native sovereignty and traditional ways of living.
Leonard is another victim of this policy.
On June 26, 1975, the FBI stormed onto the Jumping Bull
compound on the Pine Ridge Reservation under the pretext of
merely serving a warrant on Jimmy Eagle, a Native teenager
accused of stealing a used pair of boots. A firefight
ensued, and one Native man, Joseph Stuntz Killsright was
murdered. Also killed that day were two FBI agents who the
government claimed were ambushed and murdered, yet as you
will be able to surmise, the U.S. government not only
suppressed evidence, they also lied so as to gain a
conviction of Leonard Peltier. The answers to what exactly
happened that day can be found by examining the government's
schemes on Lakota Land, and why traditional Lakota people
were and are viewed as a threat to this conspiracy.
First, the Lakota people had refused to give up their
claim to the Paha Sapa (Black Hills). The Paha Sapa are
rich in minerals, one mine alone had extracted one billion
dollars in gold. If the traditional views of the Lakota
people could be destroyed, then the rape of the Paha Sapa
could continue unhindered. Not only was gold found in the
Paha Sapa, also coal, oil and uranium. As of 1979, 5163
uranium claims were granted in the Black Hills National
Forest alone. The Traditional People opposed the raping of
Mother Earth for the building of weapons of mass
destruction, as well as speaking out about the
contamination of the water. In some places the water was
found to be as much as fourteen times the "safe" level set
by the government. The sources for the drinking water for
Pine Ridge, (groundwater and the Cheyenne River) were found
to be contaminated. The government allocated money for
uncontaminated water supplies, but the Bureau of Indian
Affairs stipulated that the clean water was for cattle
only. Most of the cattle on Pine Ridge belonged to white
ranchers who controlled nearly as much of the land on Pine
Ridge as did the Lakota people. In the northwest corner of
Pine Ridge is an area called "gunnery range". This area
makes up one eighth of the reservation, and the U.S.
government took control of this area in 1942 to train
aerial gunners. The U.S. government never returned this
land. In 1970, a secret satellite mapping of the area
revealed a rich deposit of uranium. On the day before the
shootout, the "gunnery range" was illegally signed over to
the government by tribal president Dick Wilson, who was
collaborating with the U.S. government against his people.
Dick Wilson had been carrying out the government's
orders to suppress all opposition by traditional people
towards the government's plans. This led to the creation of
a death squad who named themselves GOONS - Guardians Of the
Oglalla Nation, and to the Wounded Knee Occupation.
Traditional elders asked for help from the American Indian
Movement (AIM). A traditional camp was set up at the
Jumping Bull's compound. In the days before the shootout,
family members of the GOON squad were moved off Pine Ridge.
The day before the shootout FBI came to a home overlooking
the AIM camp where they could clearly see the camp. The next
day two FBI agents followed a red pick-up truck onto the
Jumping Bull compound, pulled their cars up in a defensive
manner, and shots were fired. The AIM people at the camp
fired back in self defense.
A few questions must be asked: 1) If the agents were
fired upon as they claim, why didn't they make any attempt
to leave the area? 2) Why did they wait until the red pick-
up entered the compound before making contact? 3) Why did
the FBI feel the need to investigate the alleged theft of
used boots, when they would not investigate the over 60
confirmed murders of traditional people?
Add to this that there were other FBI agents set up in
the area (including snipers) and it clearly shows the events
of June 26 were all part of a government plan. All of the
AIM people, with the exception of Joseph Stuntz Killsright
(who was killed by a sniper) were able to get away that day.
In the days that followed, an armed invasion ensued with
homes being ransacked. 364 people were brought in for
interrogation. Five months after the deaths of the agents,
Bob Robideau, Dino Butler, Jimmy Eagle, and Leonard Peltier
were indicted for aiding and abetting with the so called
"murders". Both Robideau and Butler pleaded self defense and
were acquitted. The charges against Jimmy Eagle were
dropped. Leonard was extradited from Canada on the basis of
affidavits from Myrtle Poor Bear, which the government
forced her to sign. She later stated that the affidavits
were false and tried to testify at Leonard's trial. The
judge refused to allow Myrtle Poor Bear the opportunity to
testify.
Because Robideau and Butler were found not guilty,
Leonard's trial was moved to a different city and a new
judge. Leonard's defense was not allowed to present evidence
of the reign of terror on Pine Ridge, the FBI's campaign to
destroy AIM, or other government abuses. The government also
charged Leonard with being the sole killer of the agents. To
convict him they fabricated ballistics reports, intimidated
witnesses to testify against him, and spied on his defense
team. Leonard was eventually convicted of these crimes and
sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.
Leonard's case has gone through three appeals and each
time he was turned down, even though the defense disproved
the government's case, and have proven governmental
misconduct. In the early 80's, Leonard's attorneys were able
to obtain, through the freedom of information act, twelve
thousand pages of government files. In addition, six
thousand pages were withheld because they were "classified"
in the interest of "national security" (if the government's
claim that this was merely a criminal ambush, why do they
have "classified" papers on it?). In the papers were found
the fabricated ballistics reports. Also, witnesses came
forward and stated that they were forced to testify against
Leonard. Finally, at the hearing of the last appeal, federal
prosecutor Lynn Crooks stated that the government did not
know who shot the agents, which in reality was an admission
that the government's case against Leonard had been
fabricated. The court even refused to consider an affidavit
from the leader of a GOON squad that the FBI had financed,
trained and armed and directed in actions against the Lakota
People. The true reasons that the courts have refused
Leonard a new and fair trial is that they are afraid that a
new trial would expose the government's criminal actions on
Pine Ridge, and the government frame up of Leonard Peltier.
The conspiracy against Leonard did not end with
railroading him to prison. There was an assassination
attempt against him, secret meetings between the appeals
judges and the FBI, and the FBI was at his latest appeal
hearing (where Leonard was told that he must serve 15 more
years, added to the 18 already served, before he could make
another request). Over the years a number of Leonard's
supporters have been harassed, and a few have been
mysteriously murdered.
If Leonard's case is not yet clear to you, then maybe
the words of Norman Zigrossi, the head of the FBI office in
Rapid City, S.D. at the time of the shootout, will clear
things up for you. He defended the bureau's use of illegal
action against the Lakota people by stating that Native
people were a "conquered nation", and that the FBI was
merely acting as a "colonial police force". Zigrossi went on
to say, "when you're conquered, the people you're conquered
by dictate your future. This is a basic philosophy of mine.
If I'm part of a conquered nation, then I've got to yield to
authority".
IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE
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