Topic 1064 Fwd: Leonard Peltier meisenscher Labor News & Notes 11:51 AM Sep 29, 1998 Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 19:45:21 -0700 To: Peter Jaques , arthurmiller50@juno.com, swolfson@bop.gov, administrator@campbell.senate.gov, President@whitehouse.gov, prisonact-list@igc.org From: Lara Johnson Subject: Leonard Peltier P O Box 42, Volksrust, 2470 Mpumalanga South Africa ljohnson@amandla.org 28 September 1998 To: - Kathleen Hawk, Director - Bureau of Prisons, "attention indicator": wolfson@bop.gov. - U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell at: administrator@campbell.senate.gov. - President Bill Clinton: President@whitehouse.gov CC: KPFA Radio, Berkeley CA: livingroom@pacifica.org Texas Radio: tejana.tongue@mail.utexas.edu (tammy gomez) Various other media. Dear Director Hawk and Senator B. N. Campbell RE: The violation of Mr. Leonard Peltier's Constitutional rights and the lack of justice in America, especially for the poor and communities of color. My name is Lara Johnson and I am a South African citizen, married to an American citizen. I am writing to you to voice my extreme horror at America's supposed shouts of 'liberty, equality and justice', which quite obviously proves to be nothing more than empty, heartless and extremely hypocritical! I am writing about the case of Leonard Peltier (#89637-132), who as you know has been incarcerated for close to 20 years for a crime which the US prosecutor who prosecuted him, admits that there is no evidence connecting Mr. Peltier to the crime, and that if Mr. Peltier were tried today, no jury would convict him! You know -- as well as I do -- that in the two years preceding the 1975 incident at Jumping Bull's compound on the Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation, over 60 murders had taken place, where people had been assaulted and houses shot up by a death squad called the GOON squad. The result of these senseless murders and the terrorization of the community resulted in the Oglala traditional Elders requesting the American Indian Movement (AIM) to setup an encampment to attempt to protect the community. On June 26, 1975, two unmarked cars (containing FBI agents) following a red pick-up truck drove into the AIM compound, in exactly the same manner as many previous drive-by shootings. A gunfight ensued since the AIM members, believing that they were under yet another murderous attack, defended themselves, since the FBI agents, in now way followed even the most fundamental police procedures. One native warrior, Joseph Stuntz, and two FBI agents died. Why did the FBI agents enter the Reservation and compound so surreptitiously, unanounced and in unmarked cars, when they knew that the community had previously been attacked? The answer may prove to be in Washington, D.C.! Uranium had been found in the Sheep Mountain area of Pine Ridge and it was well known that the Oglala Lakota People would not approve the U.S. government taking even more of their land. Since Washington was in the process of illegally signing away the land, and the American Indian Movement (AIM) had been doing remarkable community empowerment work to help Native American communities protest the violation of their rights, and whom Washington knew would not stand by and let the taking of their land go quietly - a diversion was needed! Enter the FBI agent provocateurs!!! By creating a diversion they could kill two birds with one stone, they could not only steal Native American land and rich resources, but find a way to suppress and silence the American Indian Movement (AIM)!! The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the agency which is supposed to uphold the rights of 'freedom, liberty, equality and justice' as pronounced in that lofty document 'The American Constitution', were the agency that not only violated the rights of the American Indians, but of every other American who has any sense of justice, equality and liberty, since they were acting on behalf of all Americans! Most definately a feat of mockery and deception in the faces of upstanding American citizens - wouldn't you think? The subsequent events are no less shocking for a nation that likes to denounce tyrants and boast about its 'greatness' and 'liberty'! In the first trial, two AIM members were found not guilty because of self-defence. Mr. Peltier, already wise to 'American-style-kangaroo-justice' had fled to Canada. Mr. Peltier was extradiated with false statements submitted to the Canadian government and his case was moved to be tried by a new judge, where he was found guilty, with the help of intimidating witnesses to false testimonies, etc. The case against Mr. Leonard Peltier has been disproved by his defense team to such an extent that the U.S. prosecutor now admits that there is no evidence connecting Mr. Peltier to the deaths of the FBI agents. The government now claims that because Mr. Peltier was in the AIM compound on the day, that he is guilty of 'aiding and abetting', but since the first two AIM members were found not guilty, since they were acting in self-defence, then this means that Mr. Peltier has been in prison for 20 years for 'AIDING AND ABETTING AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE'!!!!!! This mockery of American justice, the Constitution and the American people continues to this day since Mr. Peltier has been refused a new and fair trial and the Parole Commission refuses to grant him parole. The reason? The American government believes that someone must pay and they (you) do not seem to care that the man paying for the crime, you have admitted is NOT GUILTY! If the U.S. government had the slightest inclination in living up to that document called the Constitution, then it would know that Mr. Peltier is nothing short of a hero, a man of conviction and committment to his community and people, which is far more than can be said for the U.S. government and the agencies that do its dirty work. The fact that the U.S. government not only continues to refuse to give Mr. Peltier a fair trial, but that the Bureau of Prisons refuses Mr. Peltier desperately needed medical treatment for his jaw (a potentially fatal condition resulting in him not being able to eat), which the Mayo Clinic has offerred to do for free (as it has done many times for other prisoners), is only a recurring shout to the world and the American people that U.S. government officials have no intention whatsoever of living up to the Constitution! As a concerned South African citizen married to a U.S. citizen, an activist for human rights, equality and justice for all, I am appealing to you to stand up for what is ethically and morally principled and for what you were elected for, and 1) grant Mr. Peltier his medical treatment, 2) grant Mr. Peltier a new and fair trial, and 3) announce to the Native American people, the American public and the world, when Congressional hearings will be held regarding the incidents at Pine Ridge and the case of Mr. Peltier. Sincerely Lara Johnson >> Amandla Awethu" <<>> Power to the People << +------------------------------------------------------+ |>> http://www.amandla.org << ljohnson@amandla.org | +------------------------------------------------------+ | MASAKHANE - South African 'Nation Building' | | JERICHO'98 - Amnesty of Political Prisoners | | OSEPP-Org' for Sensible & Effective Prison Policy | | SACOPS - SA Communities Organizing for Public Safety | |GMPPJ-Grassroots Movements Promoting Peace and Justice| +------------------------------------------------------+ --part0_907063378_boundary-- Conf?