(1) print and send it to the parole commission
(2) fax it to the parole commission at (301) 492-6694, (301) 492-
5525, or (301) 492-5307
OR
(3) put your name and as much identifiying information as you are
comfortable with (e.g., address, to show there's a real person
behind the letter) at the bottom and e-mail it back to me, and I
will print and mail the letters.
In the Spirit,
Joe Quickle
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
It seems that when making a parole decision, there are three core
criteria for that may be used for judgment:
* Would society be better off with this person behind bars?
* Has the individual been rehabilitated?
* Has the individual paid for the crime?
I will address each of these regarding the case of Mr. Leonard Peltier.
Would society be better off with Leonard Peltier behind bars?
The answer to this is a resounding "NO!". Even while incarcerated
Mr. Peltier has been reaching out to help others. Just this last
Christmas he arranged for nearly fifty children in need to get Christmas
gifts and necessities.
This is typical of the kind of man Mr. Peltier has shown himself
to be. If he can organize such an action from within the constraints of
the penal system, one can only imagine what he might accomplish were he
granted the freedom he has so long deserved.
Our society needs people such as Mr. Peltier working freely in it.
I would consider myself fortunate to have him as my neighbor.
Has Leonard Peltier been rehabilitated?
If this question is meant to assess Mr. Peltier's current state,
he has shown himself to be of the highest character. While he himself
has been denied basic needs and liberties, he has worked for the
betterment of others. He has shown a dedication to his people and to
all people that this world needs more of.
If this is meant to assess whether Mr. Peltier has been "fixed" by
unjust incarceration, then I would answer that he was never in need of
rehabilitation to begin with.
Has Leonard Peltier been punished?
Mr. Peltier has indeed paid for a massive crime, but the
overwhelming evidence of his case shows that the crime for which he has
been paying for so long is not his. He has, in effect, been crucified
for the sins of the government.
But still, it is an inescapable conclusion that he has been
punished severely, although undeservedly. Imagine the effect on all of
your professional and personal achievements of the last twenty years had
you been jailed for that lengthy period.
Because Mr. Peltier's freedom would be an asset to society,
because he has clearly proven himself to be a humane and compassionate
letter to a greater extent than most people walking our streets, and
because he has clearly been punished, the path before you is clear. I
urge you to take this path and immediately parole Leonard Peltier.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
I don't know you're legal background - mine is limited - but
there is a legal concept called "jus tertii," or the rights of a
third party. I am writing to you as a third party with
compelling interest in the case of Mr. Leonard Peltier.
You see, the terrible blight on our justice system which Mr.
Peltier has been forced to live with affects not only him, but
all those who are informed about his case. The fact that this
could have happened and is being maintained to this day - not in
a foreign country but in the U.S. - creates a climate of fear in
which we all must live.
I believe we all have a right, an implicit civil right, to
expect justice from our court system. Yet this expectation is
not logically plausible as long as so blatant an injustice is
upheld. While this is the case, I am forced to abandon the
assumption that the system is fundamentally sound.
Your obligation to justice should be reason enough alone to
immediately parole Mr. Peltier. But I hope you realize that you
have a further responsibility to the people of the United States
to steer us away from this climate of fear, to demonstrate that
justice, even if long overdue, is still attainable.
I urge you to reject the past corruption of others, to align
yourself with the ideals of the U.S. Constitution. I urge you to
strike a blow for justice by immediately paroling Mr. Leonard
Peltier.
Sincerely,
--------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd.
Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
When the Federal Bureau of Investigation extradited Leonard
Peltier from Canada with knowingly perjured affidavits, when they
provided the prosecution with fabricated evidence, this was not
only an attack on the rights of Mr. Peltier, but an assault on
the civil liberties of us all.
When Judge Paul Benson sentenced Mr. Peltier to two
consecutive life sentences, he not only sent an innocent man to a
federal prison, but sentenced all of us to live in an unjust
society.
As long as Leonard Peltier is kept in prison, those with the
power to release him are not only denying him his long-overdue
freedom, but are supporting an abuse of power that threatens
every citizen as long as it is upheld.
Because Leonard Peltier should never have been imprisoned,
because all of society - you and I included - are adversely
affected by Mr. Peltier's continued incarceration, and because it
is your moral, legal, and ethical responsibility, I urge you to
immediately parole Mr. Leonard Peltier.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
I am writing to urge you to parole Leonard Peltier as soon as
humanly possible. Never has a case of government misconduct been so
thoroughly documented yet this misconduct at the same time been so
thoroughly ignored. The actions of the government - the FBI in
particular - on Pine Ridge Reservation in the 1972-1976 period make L.A.
Detective Mark Fuhrman look like a boy scout earning his citizenship
badge.
Examples of the government misconduct cited above (but far from a
comprehensive list) include:
* Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada based on a
perjured affidavit which had been coerced by FBI agents.
* The judge barred most of the overwhelming amount of evidence
in Peltier's defense.
* The judge allowed FBI agents to perjure themselves by giving
statements that contradicted their own written reports and
their own testimony at the earlier trial of two other men
who were acquitted.
* An FBI agent testified about key ballistics evidence while
his own memos - suppressed until well after Peltier's
conviction - showed his testimony to be untrue.
Leonard Peltier was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences,
without ever having a fair trial. Despite FBI documents demonstrating
that the original evidence against him was falsified, he has been denied
all appeals. The prosecutor has admitted in court on several occasions
that he does not know who shot the agents. Yet Leonard Peltier remains
in prison.
Leonard Peltier has widespread support from around the world: over
25 million people have signed petitions for his release: he has the
support of over 50 members of the US Congress, 50 members of the
Canadian Parliament, Amnesty International, the National Association of
Christians and Jews, Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and Nelson Mandela. Also, the Canadian Justice Ministry is currently
investigating the circumstances of Peltier's extradition.
I urge and beseech you to immediately remove this blight on
justice in the U.S. by releasing Leonard Peltier.
Thank you for your time. I pray you'll make a choice for justice rather
than support prejudice, racism, and abuse of power.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
I start this appeal for Leonard Peltier's parole with a quote from
the late Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, jr. - "Injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice everywhere." Think about this for a moment -
injustice to even one man is an offense against us all, a peril to each
of us.
Dr. King wrote this truism in a letter from a Birmingham jail; he
was being imprisoned for standing up for his legal, constitutional,
civil rights. Leonard Peltier was also jailed for standing up for the
rights of himself and his people. But his incarceration was
orchestrated in a much more insidious fashion - he was framed for an act
which the preponderance of evidence shows that he did not commit, and
was tried in a manner that guaranteed his conviction, justice be damned.
I ask you to consider Dr. King's words when you make your decision
to parole Leonard Peltier, and consider who he was, where he was, and
why he was there at the time that he said them. I urge you to fulfill
your legal and moral obligation to free Leonard Peltier.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
Had anyone come to me several years back and told me of a
"government conspiracy" against Leonard Peltier, against the American
Indian Movement, or against civil rights leaders I surely would have
thought that person to be delusional or suffering from some type of
paranoid disorder. I would not have thought it possible that agencies
of our own federal government would be involved in any such activities
outside of the movies.
I wish that were true today and represented the political reality
of this country, but I've seen much too much since then to harbor or
maintain such naivete. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that
Leonard Peltier did not and could not have had a fair trial; that the
judge, prosecutor, and Federal Bureau of Investigation acted in
collusion to insure his conviction, often acting well outside of their
legal parameters; that the FBI was involved - as evidenced by its own
internal documents - in a war of repression against individuals and
groups calling out for reform.
I understand reluctance to see any government agencies as anything
other than "the good guys," making anything they attacked the "bad
guys." But - again by its own internal documents - the "bad guys" that
the FBI battled to "neutralize" included Jane Fonda; Reverend Martin
Luther King, jr.; and student protesters, among a myriad of others. The
pursuit of civil rights should never have made anyone a target of the
government.
But this is precisely what made Mr. Peltier a target of the FBI,
and what directly brought about his conviction. In the words of Judge
Fred Nichol, after presiding over the Wounded Knee Leadership Trial,
"... the FBI [was] determined to get the AIM movement and completely
destroy it" (quoted in NY Times, Sept. 17, 1974).
This injustice cannot be reversed - Mr. Peltier has spent nearly
twenty years of his life in federal prisons. But it must be addressed
an mitigated to the greatest extent it can be - and this means freeing
Mr. Peltier at the earliest possible time. I urge you to make a move
for justice rather than bring the stain of corruption onto yourself. I
beseech you to parole Leonard Peltier.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
The bulk of this letter comprises only of two quotations from the
Boston College Law Review article "Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Leonard
Peltier and the Sublegal System" (July 1993). I hope they will provide
serious "food for thought" as ponder the decision to free Leonard
Peltier.
Imprisonment, such as in the case of Leonard Pelter, resulting
from perjured or concealed testimony knowingly used of withheld by
state authorities, is inconsistent with the rudimentary demands of
justice and constitutes a deprivation of rights guaranteed by the
federal Constitution [p. 930].
The extradition, prosecution, and affirmations of conviction of
Leonard Peltier demonstrate not only the fundamental injustice
possible in our legal system, but also the failure of the Bagley
standard to correct those faults. Due to stringent standards and
the ease with which crucial evidence may be concealed, Leonard
Peltier has become one of the victims of a sublegal system, where
citizens are functionally guilty until proven innocent. A
judicial system that affirms a conviction obtained through the
most questionable of means, while the affirming judge feels
compelled to ask the President of the United States to pardon the
convicted, is a system that has failed in its quest for justice
[p. 934-935].
It is now up to the Parole Commission to mitigate this failure of
the system in its quest for justice. I urge you to make the only
legally, morally, and ethically correct choice in this matter - side
with justice and parole Leonard Peltier.
Sincerely,
----------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
Leonard Peltier has widespread support from around the world: over
25 million people have signed petitions for his release; he has the
support of over 50 members of the US Congress, 50 members of the
Canadian Parliament, Amnesty International, the National Association of
Christians and Jews, Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and Nelson Mandela; and the Canadian Justice Ministry is currently
investigating the circumstances of Peltier's extradition.
I bring this up to point out that Mr. Peltier's is an
extraordinary case; if justice were being served by Mr. Peltier's
incarceration, it would not be possible for this type of support for his
freedom to have emerged.
I join these millions of people who have called for freedom for
Mr. Peltier by urging you to parole him immediately.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
There are perhaps few times in our lives when fate offers us the
chance to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves, when we
have a chance to make a difference in the state of affairs of our nation
or world.
Each member of the Parole Commission is currently facing such an
opportunity, two disparate paths before them, each with enormous
significance. One path leads toward restoration of justice and
represents emergence from a time of darkness and blight, while the other
path leads us back into moral bankruptcy.
These paths to which I am referring are your current consideration
of Mr. Leonard Peltier's parole. You can choose to free this man and be
a part of bringing justice not only to him, but to all of us. Or you
can continue the attack on our freedom by lending and act of support to
the corruption that brought about Mr. Peltier's outrightly fraudulent
conviction.
The choice is, of course, your. I pray that you'll side with
justice, and parole Leonard Peltier as soon as humanly possible.
Sincerely,
-----------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
The actions on the part of the government that resulted in Mr.
Leonard Peltier's conviction represented a gross dereliction of those
parties' duty to the Constitution, the laws of the United States of
America, and their duty to the people of this nation.
I urge the members of the Parole Commission not to join in this
dereliction by upholding such deceit. I urge you instead to parole
Leonard Peltier immediately.
Sincerely,
-------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
Millions of people have called for Mr. Leonard Peltier's release
from imprisonment. You may ask yourself "Why should Mr. Peltier be
freed?" Were you to ask me, this is how I would answer that question,
without hesitation..
Because he is innocent. The overwhelming evidence of Mr. Peltier's case
shows that he should never have been imprisoned in the first place.
Because this is an extraordinary case. Nearly every inmate claims
innocence, but how many have passed through your office that have had
millions of people petition for their freedom, that have members of the
U.S. Congress and several foreign parliament's calling out for their
release. Mr. Peltier's is an extraordinary case, and warrants
extraordinary action. It warrants his immediate release.
Because people such as Mr. Peltier are needed in our society. He is
engaging in helping people even from the confines of a prison cell.
Because justice should be served. This is fundamental to our nation,
and our world. You would not be taking part in the judicial system
without endorsing a belief in justice.
To reject the corruption that put Mr. Peltier behind bars. If you
knowingly keep an innocent man imprisoned while having the power to
release him, you nourish and become a part of that depravity.
Because it is damaging to you and to us all for this taint on our system
and our world to persevere. In the words of Rev. Martin Luther King,
Jr., "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Mr.
Peltier's wrongful imprisonment affects us all, hurts us all.
Because the U.S. holds itself as a world leader for human rights. The
United States of America is not supposed to have political prisoners.
But this is exactly what the facts of Mr. Peltier's situation bear out.
It is hypocritical in the extreme to demand the release of other
countries' political prisoners while holding one's own.
For these reasons, you must parole Mr. Leonard Peltier immediately. I
pray you will do so.
Sincerely,
-----------------------------------
Mr. John Simpson
Chair, Eastern Regional Parole Board
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Mr. Simpson,
I'm sure you're very aware of the blizzard that hit the East
Coast recently. Most of the Washington, D.C. area was shut down,
largely because it wasn't prepared to handle such an unusual
event. It lacked procedures to deal with such an extraordinary
situation, but this lack of procedures made the situation no less
real.
This is a very close parallel to a current case you are
reviewing, that of Mr. Leonard Peltier. It, too, is an unusual
and extraordinary situation - a man wrongfully imprisoned for
nearly twenty years, largely as a by-product of extreme
corruption on the part of specific government agencies of the
time; a prisoner whose release is supported by literally tens of
millions of people, including bishops, priests, religious
organizations, members of congress, and several foreign
governments.
There may not be procedures to deal with paroling an
innocent man; parole procedures appear to be set up to deal with
convicted, guilty criminals. Mr. Peltier should never have been
jailed in the first place. But, as was the case with the
blizzard, a lack of procedures makes the situation no less real.
Mr. Simpson, justice must be served; I urge and beseech you
to release Mr. Peltier, to have the strength to bring about a
release that is long-since overdue. Strike a blow for justice
and free Leonard Peltier.
Sincerely,
--------------------------------
United States Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD. 20815
Dear Commissioner,
Although the format of the following letter may be unorthodox, it's
message is striking, even for a long-time supporter of Mr. Peltier's such as
myself. Please read the quotations presented below, and consider their
sources.
TOP TEN REASONS LEONARD PELTIER SHOULD BE FREED,
IN THE WORDS OF THE GOVERNMENT...
10. "The United States government must share in the responsibility for the
June 26 firefight... It appeared that the FBI was equally to blame for
the shootout..."
- Gerald Heaney, Senior Judge in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals,
in a letter supporting clemency for Leonard Peltier.
9. "We can't prove who shot those agents... Aiding and abetting whoever did
the final shooting. Perhaps aiding and abetting himself. And hopefully
the jury would believe that in effect he had done it all. But aiding and
abetting nevertheless."
-Prosecutor Lynn Crooks in Court of Appeals, October 15, 1985.
8. "But can't you see... that what happened happened in such a way that it
gives some credence to the claim... that the United States is willing to
resort to any tactic in order to bring somebody back to the United States
from Canada. And if they are willing to do that, they must be willing to
fabricate evidence as well."
-Judge Donald Ross, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, referring to the
coerced and perjured affidavits used to extradite Leonard Peltier from
Canada. Transcript of the proceedings (oral arguments) in US v. Peltier,
CR C77-3003 "Motion to Vacate Judgement and for a New Trial," at 7326-7.
7. Federal Bureau of Investigation teletype dated October 2, 1975,
indicating that (FBI ballistics expert) Evan Hodge had performed a firing
pin test on the Wichita AR-15 (claimed by the government to have been
Leonard Peltier's) immediately after he received it and compared it to
the cartridges found at the scene. Contrary to his trial testimony that
the test was inconclusive, this memo conclusively stated that the rifle
contained "a different firing pin" from the weapon used in the firefight.
This exculpatory evidence was withheld from the defense, and only
discovered years after the trial with the release of documents via the
Freedom of Information Act.
6. "There are only two alternatives... to the government's contention that
the .223 casing was ejected into the trunk of Coler's car when the
Wichita AR-15 was fired at the agents. One alternative is that the .223
casing was planted in the trunk of Coler's car either before its
discovery by the investigating agents or by the agents who reported the
discovery. The other alternative is that a non-matching casing was
originally found in the trunk and sent to the FBI laboratory, only to be
replaced by a matching casing when the importance of a match to the
Wichita AR-15 became evident."
- Judges of the Appeals panel, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals,
"Appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota,"
op. cit., p. 16.
The Court recognized that key evidence against Leonard Peltier could
only have been fabricated, but went on to say "We recognize that there is
evidence in this record of improper conduct on the part of some FBI
agents, but we are reluctant to impute even further improprieties to
them."
5. "The jury agreed with the defense contention that an atmosphere of fear
and violence exists on the reservation, and that the defendants arguably
could have been shooting in self-defense. While it was shown that the
defendants [Dino Butler and Bob Robideau] were firing guns in the
direction of the agents, it was held that this was not excessive in the
heat of passion."
-Jury Foreman Robert Bolin, after the acquittal of Butler and Robideau
for their roles in the firefight.
4. Leonard Peltier was targeted for "neutralization" by the FBI years before
the firefight; in 1972 two off-duty Milwaukee police officers beat
Peltier and then had him charged with attempted murder. This occurred
after one of the officers had shown a picture of Peltier to his
girlfriend and boasted of "catching a big one for the FBI." (U.S. v.
Peltier, CR 77-3003-1, U.S. Court for the District of North Dakota,
November, 1990, p. 12).
Both incidents were entirely consistent with the FBI's COINTEL
program, which targeted any individuals or groups with political voices.
3. "...[L]ittle has been done to solve numerous murders on the reservation,
but when two white men are killed 'troops' are brought in from all over
the country at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars."
- Civil Rights Commission Chairman Arthur J. Flemming on the reaction
to the FBI agents' deaths in (his words again), "an extreme over-
reaction which takes on aspects of a vendetta...a full scale military
type invasion" of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
2. "... the FBI [was] determined to get the AIM movement and completely
destroy it."
-Judge Fred Nichol, after presiding over the "Wounded Knee Leadership
Trial," quoted in NY Times, Sept. 17, 1974.
1. "We don't know who shot those agents"
- Prosecutor Lynn Crooks in Court of Appeals, Nov. 9, 1992, p. 12 of
oral arguments transcript.
I urge you to eradicate the continuance of this longstanding injustice
rather than embrace and support the corruption from which it grew. I urge you
to free Leonard Peltier as soon as humanly possible.
Sincerely,