San Jose, CA – 30 community members gathered at the San Jose Peace and Justice center, February 22, to celebrate the release of Leonard Peltier from prison and his return home.

Peltier, a leader of the American Indian Movement, had been the longest-held political prisoner in the U.S. After five decades of constant advocacy from activists worldwide calling for his release, Peltier finally returned home on February 18 after former President Biden commuted his sentence just before leaving office.

Members of the community gathered to watch a video of Peltier's welcome home celebration, hosted by the NDN Collective on the Turtle Mountain reservation, in North Dakota. After the video, the crowd assembled outside to watch a series of spoken word, dance and musical performances to celebrate the occasion.

Donna Wallach, a leading organizer with Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley, said, “I’m so happy. I won’t say I never gave up but I always had it in my mind that he was going to get free. If he could struggle from inside for all that he’s been through then who am I to give up on his freedom? He sacrificed 50 years for unity and for freedom for indigenous people and their sovereignty.”

Wallach continued, “I think he will be a force to unite all the tribes together to lead the land back movement. Even with this horrendous administration we have right now – this is the struggle for sovereignty, land back and indigenous recognition.”

Bob Jung of Vigil for Gaza said, “This is great, people fight for social justice and it seems like there’s very few times we win and it’s time to really savor this.” Jung continued, “I’d like to see all the allies coming to support each other – whether it’s the American Indian Movement, immigration, or what’s going on in Palestine.”

Drusie Kazanova of San Jose Against War, which is a member organization of the International League of People’s Struggle, read the ILPS statement on Peltier's release. “While Biden was the one who signed the act to commute Leonard’s sentence, it is not due to any goodwill from the former president who poured endless amounts of money into the genocidal war on Palestine, sold off indigenous lands to fossil fuel corporations and led a campaign of massive state repression against peoples’ movements in the U.S. and abroad,”

Kazanova continued, “It was the mass movement that held high the demand to free Leonard while exposing the imperialist system for keeping him imprisoned unjustly for a crime that was widely known to have been charged under falsified evidence.”

After the performances the event included a open mic segment for community members to speak their mind in honor of Peltier’s freedom.

Wallach expressed the desire to continue organizing to shine a light on other political prisoners such as Mumia Abu Jamal, The Holy Land 5 and many others.

#SanJoseCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalPrisoners #LeonardPeltier

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Frank Chapman, Executive Director, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

Leonard Peltier, renowned Spirit-Warrior of the Dakota people, symbolizes the courageous centuries long resistance of the Indigenous peoples against racism, genocide and national oppression. In the spirit of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, Leonard has maintained his innocence and fought for his freedom for five decades.

The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression has stood in unconditional solidarity with Leonard Peltier, the oldest and one of the longest held political prisoners in U.S. history.

The reason the federal government held Leonard in captivity and behind bars for half a century is not because he was guilty of any crime but because the FBI agents who were killed were white men. Leonard himself said “When a white is killed, even if he brought it on himself, all Indians are guilty. Isn’t that the way it’s always been?”

Yes, that is the way it’s always been. However, with Leonard the situation is even more aggravated by the fact that he is a freedom fighter for his oppressed people.

Decades ago, Leonard’s lawyer, Ramsey Clark (former Attorney General of the United States) said, “I think I can explain beyond serious doubt that Leonard Peltier committed no crime whatsoever.”

We now know that the government knew what Ramsey Clark knew, yet they refused to release Leonard.

Leonard was accused of murder in 1975 and in 1985 the government prosecution admitted, “We did not know who shot the agents...” he was accused of killing. Forty-nine years later a government prosecutor repeated this admitted truth to President Biden. Apparently, Biden listened, and in response to the demands of the people, at the age of 80 and after 50 years of torturous imprisonment, Leonard is coming home.

It’s definitely a people’s victory and we celebrate it as such. It is not “Justice at Last.”

We acknowledge and salute the Indigenous people’s movement, Leonard Peltier’s family, and his decades long standing Defense Committee. It was the mass movement of the people demanding justice that moved President Biden to issue an order of Executive Clemency.

Based on the evidence, Leonard deserved an apology and a pardon of innocence. The sober reality is that the U.S. government continues its genocidal policies against the Dakota people and all the Indigenous people of America.

We stand in unconditional solidarity with the first nations indemanding their sovereign rights and their struggles for freedom.

#LeonardPeltier #Clemency #ExecutiveOrder #Biden #IndigenousSovereignty #Dakota #RamseyClark #NAARPR

San José, CA – Alrededor de 20 miembros de la comunidad se reunieron en el Centro de Paz y Justicia de San José, el 10 de diciembre, Día Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, para honrar a Leonard Peltier, líder del Movimiento Indio Americano y prisionero político por casi 50 años.

El evento fue presentado por Donna Wallach, presidenta del Grupo de Apoyo a Leonard Peltier de Silicon Valley y una firme organizadora comunitaria de toda la vida. Dan Battaglia, miembro activo del Grupo de Apoyo a Leonard Peltier de Nueva York, y Paulette Dauteuil, miembro de la junta del Movimiento Jericó y el Comité Ad Hoc Oficial por Leonard Peltier, ambos asistieron por llamada al evento. Ellos describieron la mala conducta del FBI que llevó al arresto, juicio y encarcelamiento ilegal de Peltier desde 1978. También enfatizaron la importancia de la lucha continua por su libertad.

Julie Dominguez, embajadora de la Tribu Muwekma Ohlone, lideró un reconocimiento de tierras de parte de la tribu. Dominguez dijo que la Tribu Muwekma Ohlone está viva, yéndole bien, y continuando la lucha por el reconocimiento federal.

Philip Nguyen de San José Contra la Guerra habló de uno de los pilares de la organización siendo la solidaridad con la resistencia indígena en contra del colonialismo y el robo de tierras. Nguyen mencionó que la continua supervivencia de Peltier estando encarcelado ilegalmente es la resistencia misma y una “señal para endurecer nuestra determinación para luchar como el infierno por los vivos – por Leonard, por los palestinos y por todos los otros pueblos oprimidos.”

John Paul Amaral, presidente de la Organización Estudiantil Nativo Americana en la Universidad Estatal de San José leyó un poema que escribió llamado, Ternura en Humo, que describía su rabia y pena por el descubrimiento a principios del anterior año de fosas comunes sin nombre de niños nativo-americanos que fueron forzados a entrar a internados, una práctica común para oprimir y borrar culturalmente a los nativos americanos.

Brian M. Smith, miembro del Grupo de Apoyo a Leonard Peltier de Silicon Valley, leyó la declaración de Peltier del Día Nacional de Luto.

John Duroyan de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad resaltó que “el encarcelamiento es una de las muchas herramientas que la clase dominante usa para reprimir nuestros movimientos, sabotear nuestros líderes, e intimidar a la gente en todas partes donde debemos resistir con fuerza,” y continuó, “la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad se solidariza con Leonard Peltier y su lucha por libertad y justicia.”

Después del programa, Wallach dio el llamado a la acción para llamar al presidente Biden para que perdone a Leonard antes de que deje el cargo. La comunidad nacional continuará movilizándose para liberar a Leonard Peltier, solidarizarse con las comunidades indígenas en todas partes y resistir la represión política.

#SanJoseCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #InJusticeSystem #LeonardPeltier #AIM #FRSO

San Jose, CA – About 20 community members gathered at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, December 10, International Human Rights Day, to honor Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader and political prisoner of almost 50 years.

The event was emceed by Donna Wallach, chair of Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley and a staunch and lifelong community organizer. Dan Battaglia, an active member of Leonard Peltier Support Group of New York City, and Paulette Dauteuil, board member of the Jericho Movement and Official Leonard Peltier’s Ad Hoc Committee, both called in to the event. They described the FBI misconduct that led to Peltier’s wrongful arrest, trial and imprisonment since 1978. They also emphasized the importance of the continued struggle for his freedom.

Julie Dominguez, ambassador of Muwékma Ohlone Tribe, led a land acknowledgement on behalf of the tribe. Dominguez stated the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is alive, doing well and continuing the struggle for federal acknowledgement.

Philip Nguyen of San Jose Against War spoke about one of the organization’s pillars being solidarity with indigenous peoples’ resistance against colonialism and land theft. Nguyen mentioned that Peltier’s continued survival while wrongfully imprisoned is resistance itself and a “signal to steel our resolve to fight like hell for the living – for Leonard, for the Palestinians and all other oppressed peoples.”

John Paul Amaral, president of the Native American Student Organization at San Jose State University read a poem that he authored called, Tenderness in Smoke, which described their rage and sorrow upon the discovery early last year of the unmarked mass graves of Native American children who were forced into boarding schools, a common practice to oppress and culturally erase Native Americans.

Brian M. Smith, member of Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley, read Peltier’s statement from the National Day of Mourning.

John Duroyan of Freedom Road Socialist Organization highlighted that “imprisonment is one of the many tools that the ruling class uses to suppress our movements, sabotage our leaders and intimidate people everywhere that we must strongly resist,” and he continued, “Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in solidarity with Leonard Peltier and his fight for freedom and justice.”

After the program, Wallach gave the call to action to call President Biden to pardon Leonard before he leaves office. The national community will continue to mobilize to free Leonard Peltier, be in solidarity with indigenous communities everywhere and resist political repression.

#SanJoseCA #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #InJusticeSystem #LeonardPeltier #AIM #LeonardPeltierSupportGroupSiliconValley #JerichoMovement #MuwékmaOhloneTribe #SJAW #NativeAmericanStudentOrganizationSanJoseStateUniversity #FRSO #Feature

San Jose, CA – Over two dozen people gathered in San Jose to demand the freedom of political prisoner Leonard Peltier on the 49th anniversary of the shootout at Pine Ridge, June 26. Peltier is a leader of the American Indian Movement who has been wrongfully imprisoned since 1978 after being framed for the killing of two FBI agents during the shootout.

Donna Wallach of the Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley began the program by describing the details of Leonard Peltier’s story. She recounted the brutal oppression that the Oglala Lakota people of Pine Ridge faced during the “Reign of Terror,” a period of intense violence, exploitation and attempts at land privatization during the years before the shootout. She spoke about how Leonard Peltier, as a leader of the American Indian Movement, resisted such oppression and organized his people to fight for their liberation. As a result, the U.S. government targeted him with political repression, as it so often does to leaders of national liberation movements.

The program continued with a land acknowledgement by Julie Dominguez, Muwekma-Ohlone tribal ambassador. The Muwekma-Ohlone are the indigenous people native to San Jose and the surrounding areas. She spoke about the oppression that her people have faced, from missionization by the Spanish up through their present-day struggle for federal recognition by the U.S. government.

Brian Smith of the Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley next read the statement written by Leonard Peltier for this year’s commemoration of the shootout.

Peltier wrote, “Oppression is rising, running like black mold through every facet of society. We must stand together and let society know that Indigenous lives are not cheap. The lives of our oppressed brothers and sisters are not cheap. All people are worthy of basic human dignity,” and “Colonialism has all but destroyed us. We must do nothing less than transform society into a place where human beings are not disposable.”

The next speaker was Dolly Robideau, Peltier’s aunt. She spoke about the ongoing repression that Peltier faces within the criminal justice system, from denial of parole to the withholding of medical treatment. She said, “I may be naive, but it recently occurred to me and seems abundantly clear to me that this is all about revenge with a capital ‘R’. It seems quite evident that justice has very little, if anything, to do with the criminal justice system’s treatment of Leonard.”

Tim Matson from South Bay Indigenous Solidarity then read dozens of names of those killed during the Reign of Terror on the Pine Ridge reservation. Trujillo Miguel Angel Vazquez and Patricia Vazquez performed songs and poetry about Leonard Peltier and Wounded Knee. Sharat Lin performed a dance in honor of Leonard Peltier and indigenous resistance around the world.

Next, Salem Ajluni, local Palestinian American activist, spoke about the ongoing struggle of the Palestinian people for national liberation against brutal oppression by Israel and its U.S. backers. He drew parallels between the struggles of Palestinians and the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in facing land theft and genocide.

Drusie Kazanova of Freedom Road Socialist Organization then gave a speech about the political repression faced by national liberation movements and their leaders. “As the crisis of imperialism sharpens, the U.S. government and its proxies have responded by cracking down hard upon national liberation movements and their leaders, from Leonard Peltier, to former Black Panther Mumia Abu Jamal, to General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ahmad Sadaat,” she continued, “Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in solidarity with all peoples fighting for national liberation – both within the U.S. and abroad. We demand the release of all political prisoners that are part of the movements demanding self-determination for their peoples.”

Several members of Malaya South Bay also spoke about political repression within the Philippines, particularly targeting those resisting the Marcos-Duterte regime and fighting for Philippine national liberation against U.S. corporate and military interests.

On July 2, the United States Parole Commission announced that they once again failed to recommend Leonard Peltier, who is 79 years old, for release. In a statement released by Peltier’s lawyers, they pledged to appeal the decision, and quoted the words of Frederick Douglass: “What have those [that] I represent to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?”

#SanJoseCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #InjusticeSystem #PoliticalPrisoners #LeonardPeltier #Feature

San Jose, CA – On June 26, around 35 people gathered at Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park in San Jose to honor political prisoner and American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier. The event was organized by Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley and Indian Health Center Silicon Valley on the 48th anniversary of the historic shootout at Oglala on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The rally was emceed by Donna Wallach, chair of Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley and longtime community organizer.

Julie Dominguez, Muwékma Ohlone Tribal Ambassador, commenced the event with a tribal land acknowledgment on behalf of the Muwékma Ohlone Tribe. Dominguez spoke about the Muwékma Ohlone’s relationship with the land of the South Bay area and its spiritual significance for her people. She also noted that the Muwékma Ohlone people are not merely a relic of the past, but are alive and thriving today in the San Jose. She reported that Muwékma Ohlone Tribal Chairwoman Charlene C. Nijmeh recently visited Washington D.C. to advocate for federal acknowledgment of the Muwékma Ohlone Tribe, but there is currently no path forward to achieve that demand.

California Spirit Ride Team members who recently participated in the 500 Mile American Indian Spiritual Marathon then led the crowd in an inspiring performance of the Leonard Peltier Honor Song.

The next speaker was Carol Robideau, White Earth Chippewa and Leonard Peltier's aunt. She spoke about how she was one of the legions of indigenous children forcibly separated from her family and tribe via predatory adoption practices in 1949. She did not even realize she was Leonard Peltier’s aunt until she reconnected with her family and tribe in 1994. Robideau recounted her fear that she may never be able to reunite with Peltier in-person, saying, “The horrible truth is, to me, that no matter which party has been in power over all of these years, there is no justice, no matter who is in charge.”

Brian Smith then read a statement written by Leonard Peltier in 2022. Donna Wallach reported that she was unable to contact Peltier to receive his annual statement for 2023, and that she assumes that he is most likely in lockdown in prison. In his 2022 statement, Peltier wrote about the importance of the next generation stepping up and becoming leaders. He also praised the Standing Rock movement for defending the right to clean, safe water for everyone and continuing the legacy of the American Indian Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Next, Manu Tonantzin read the names of 55 of the Lakota people who were killed during the Reign of Terror on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota between 1973 and 1976, noting that there were even more people killed whose names we do not know. Local organizer and peace activist Sharat Lin then performed his “Dance of Peace” to the song Reclamation by indigenous musician Lotus Sky. Trujillo Miguel Angel Vasquez and Patricia Vasquez then recited original poetry and songs in both English and Spanish, in honor of Wounded Knee and Leonard Peltier.

Finally, David Almeida from the San Jose State University chapter of Students for a Democratic Society spoke about the national campaign to defend the Tampa 5. The Tampa 5 are five student activists in Florida who are currently facing up to ten years in prison for protesting against Governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI) and multicultural programs. Almeida spoke about the importance of uniting to free all political prisoners. He stated that SDS stands in solidarity with Leonard Peltier and the movement to free him from wrongful imprisonment, saying, “We understand that political repression of one of us is political repression of all us.” He spoke about the importance of building a national campaign to support the Tampa 5, and noted how the case may set a precedent for further escalation of political repression nationwide if we do not unite to defend the democratic right to protest. He urged attendants to sign the petition (https://peoplespetitions.org/tampa5) and support their GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/5765e559). He also informed the crowd about an upcoming rally in support of the Tampa 5 at San Jose City Hall on July 9 at 2 p.m.

After the program, the crowd gathered to write postcards to President Biden demanding Leonard Peltier’s release and letters to Leonard Peltier in prison expressing their support and solidarity. There was a strong spirit of unity and mobilization in carrying on the fight to free Leonard Peltier, stand in solidarity with indigenous communities everywhere, and resist political repression at every turn.

#SanJoseCA #SDS #LeonardPeltier #SanJosé #PoliticalPrisoners

Minneapolis MN – One hundred people rallied in front of the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on February 6 to demand freedom for Leonard Peltier. Peltier is the longest-held indigenous political prisoner in the U.S. Human rights activists worldwide have repeatedly called for his release.

Nick Estes of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee said, “Today we are standing with a dozen or so rallies across the world at courthouses and embassies in solidarity with Leonard Peltier. This is the day he was arrested by the RCMP and so we count this day as the first day of his incarceration. He is entering his 48th year of imprisonment,” adding, “We have all the ‘right’ people on our side, from a former federal prosecutor to the United Nations and still justice hasn't prevailed. Power resides with the people, and we must exercise that to see him free.”

Rally emcee Rachel Thunder talked about of the historic fight for justice that the American Indian Movement (AIM) waged on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota against both the tribal government goon squad and the U.S. government. After what is sometimes referred to as the incident at Oglala, the AIM member Peltier was convicted of murder in a grossly unfair trial.

Mike Forcia of AIM said, “We are united to stand with Peltier. Let him go now. Our voices and drums and songs will be heard.”

Rachel Thunder echoed that sentiment, adding that, like fingers of a hand, separated we are weak but together we are strong and powerful.

For further information on the case and what you can do https://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalPrisoners #LeonardPeltier

San José, CA – On June 26, supporters of American Indian Movement (AIM) leader Leonard Peltier gathered in a park to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the shoot-out that led to his incarceration of more than 40 years, making him one of the longest-held political prisoners in the U.S.

The event was organized by the Silicon Valley Leonard Peltier Support Group. Emcee Donna Wallach of the SVLPSG chaired the program. Participants in the 500 Mile American Indian Spiritual Marathon, which just completed its 40th annual run, began the program, speaking about how Leonard Peltier had inspired them. Masao Suzuki of the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC), told of the Japanese American community’s fight for redress and reparations for the World War II concentration camps. He then recited the history of the struggle at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in the 1970s, and how Leonard Peltier was railroaded to a life sentence in prison.

Poet Leticia Garcia Bradford read her poem on the struggle at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline, as well as one of Leonard Peltier’s poems. Laurie Valdez of the community group Justice for Josiah spoke of the continuing struggle to seek justice for the killing of Antonio Guzman Lopez by the San Jose State University police. Latu Tapaatoutai of the International Migrants Alliance read their statement condemning the Trump administration’s policy of child detention.

The program ended with a picnic and a call to continue to organize to free Leonard Peltier, who is incarcerated in federal prison in Coleman, Florida.

#SanJoséCA #PoliticalPrisoners #IndigenousPeoples #LeonardPeltier #AmericanIndianMovementAIM #NihonmachiOutreachCommitteeNOC

New York, NY – On Sept. 24, around 50 activist gathered in a Chinatown loft to organize, stand in solidarity and celebrate Chippewa activist and political prisoner, Leonard Peltier.

Peltier was wrongly tried and convicted for his alleged role in a fire fight that took place on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in the South Dakota, in 1975. Peltier’s case was used by the U.S. government to repress the group that Peltier was in – the American Indian Movement (AIM).

The shootout took place in the midst of a period called the Reign of Terror. It was a period in the early 1970s where over 200 AIM activists were protesting the reservation’s administration through occupation and escalation. This resulted in several events where the government used aggressive tactics to quell the movement. The shootout left one indigenous person and two FBI agents dead. After the initial trial, where two other people who were involved in the shootout were acquitted on the basis of self-defense, the U.S. government and the FBI went above and beyond to convict Peltier. His case became one of legal revenge.

From the beginning, his case was set up for a conviction. He was illegally extradited from Canada; thousands of documents were withheld during trial; there were coerced testimonies and fabricated affidavits. Don Edwards, a former FBI agent and U.S. congressman, stated, “The FBI used Mr. Peltier as a scapegoat and they continue to do so today.”

Now in prison for over 40 years, Leonard Peltier is suffering from worsening health conditions. Several organizations and indigenous nations organize daily for Peltier’s release. Their demand is that President Obama grant Peltier clemency so he can live out the rest of his days with his family.

The event was hosted by three groups: ProLibertad, NYC Free Peltier and NYC Jericho. The opening remarks were made by Frank Velgara of ProLibertad. Velgara gave a detailed background to the Peltier case and thanked the first nations for being able to host this event on their land. Velgara also masterfully drew the connections between the struggle for Puerto Rican (Boricua) liberation and the struggle of the indigenous peoples. He also drew parallels between the struggle to free Oscar Rivera Lopez and Peltier. He finished by stating how the U.S. has colonized Puerto Rico, “When the U.S. first invaded Boricua, they didn’t only stop our teachers from teaching Spanish in our schools, but took two-thirds of the nation’s arable land for the military. It was from Puerto Rican soil that the coups on Nicaragua and other Latin American countries were launched.”

Velgara was followed by a speech from Pam Africa of the International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal. She stressed that the conditions Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners face are atrocious, stating “these political prisoners receive a cup of dirty brown water for every meager meal. 6000 other inmates receive the same thing. These are death camps. Let's not be mistaken. These prisons are death camps and all sent there have been sentenced to die.”

A performance by Spiritchild followed Pam Africa’s powerful speech. Spiritchild sang several songs of liberation, fighting back and remembering all political prisoners. In the middle of the chorus, they asked the audience to yell out names of important liberation fighters and the audience to respond “Presente!” Among those called out were Fred Hampton, Malcolm X, Nina Simone and Amiri Baraka.

Maggie from the NYC Free Peltier read parts of Peltier’s powerful statement of solidarity with Standing Rock. The Peltier quote she highlighted was, “I am grateful to have survived to see the rebirth of the united and undefeated Sioux Nation at Standing Rock in the resistance to the poisonous pipeline that threatens the life source of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. It is an honor to have been alive to see this happen with you young people. You are nothing but awesome in my eyes.”

Finally, Peter Clark, the co-director of the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (ILPDC), gave an update of the Peltier case and how we should be organizing towards his clemency. He mentioned that Obama had met with indigenous peoples during his first and second campaigns to ask what they would like and each time one of the primary demands was the release of Peltier.

Obama has 120 days of his presidency, and the ILPDC will be ramping up pressure on the administration. This will be culminating with a week of action in December in Washington DC. Clark remarked how they faced FBI repression in the past, but how won’t stop them, “If we remember in the early 2000s we held a rally here in New York that was attended by 2500 marchers. A week later the FBI held a counter protest in Washington DC with 500 people. They had the media on their side and we didn’t. We’re going to be prepared this time. We’re going to be ready for them.”

The rest of the event was a compilation of more performances and updates on Palestinian political Prisoners. Orie Lumumba spoke on the on the MOVE 9, and the event concluded with the AIM song.

The campaign to liberate Leonard Peltier is ongoing struggle and if you want to get involved visit whoisleonardpeltier.info and lookup the national day of action occurring in December 2016 in Washington DC.

#NewYorkNY #NewYorkCityNY #PoliticalPrisoners #PeoplesStruggles #LeonardPeltier #AmericanIndianMovement

Minneapolis, MN – On Oct. 2 through Oct. 4, the U.S. government will be put on trial for “malfeasance in Indian Country,” according to a statement released at a press conference Sept. 4. Witnesses are being subpoenaed to appear in Oneida, Wisconsin for the three-day tribunal entitled “The Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights.”

After three days of testimony, a panel of judges will rule on the conduct of the U.S. around the case of Leonard Peltier in particular and about the oppression meted out by the government to Native peoples in general. Organizers are exploring, bringing the findings of the tribunal to the World Court in the Netherlands after the tribunal.

“The Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights will tell our stories with a focus on the last 40 years,” said Dorothy Ninham – a former Oneida Nation judge and founder and director of Wind Chases the Sun.

Leaders from many Native struggles will be there to witness about “fishing rights, the sterilization of Indigenous women, extreme poverty, theft of tribes' natural resources, environmental issues and their impact on Indian reservations, the horrific rate of suicides among Native children, and the wrongful conviction of Leonard Peltier (specifically the events that led up to the June 26, 1975, incident at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and the effects on survivors of this period),” the organizers state.

It has been nearly 40 years since the uprising at Pine Ridge in South Dakota. Leonard Peltier, a leading member of the American Indian Movement, was unjustly convicted of killing two FBI agents in a battle that took place there. Amnesty International and many international figures have denounced Peltier’s two life sentences as a gross miscarriage of justice.

“This isn’t just about one day in Pine Ridge. It’s a culmination of everything that has been done to that led up the Indian people saying we won’t take it anymore,” said Ninham.

“We will show overall government policies that affected our people and the American Indian Movement,” said Clyde Bellecourt, of the American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council. Other speakers at the Sept. 4 press conference included Bill Means of AIM and Gina Buentostro of Wind Chases the Sun.

The Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights will take place Oct. 2 – 4, at the Radisson Hotel and Conference center near Green Bay, Wisconsin. The public is encouraged to attend to learn about the last 40 years of the fight backs in Indian Country against U.S. government repression.

#MinneapolisMN #IndigenousPeoples #humanRights #PoliticalPrisoner #AmericanIndianMovement #FBIRepression #LeonardPeltier #WindChasesTheSun

Peltier is a Native American political prisoner currently imprisoned at Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. He is one of the longest held political prisoners in the world. Peltier was wrongly convicted as part of a political frame up in 1977 and has now spent more than 30 years in prison.

Peltier is serving two life sentences for the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 confrontation on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was targeted for his activism and leadership with the American Indian Movement (AIM). In the early 1970s the American Indian Movement’s leadership of sharp struggles demanding justice for Native Americans led the FBI and U.S. government to target them as part of the secret COINTELPRO program that aimed to neutralize AIM as well as other radical movements fighting for justice and liberation. The FBI continues to vindictively oppose Leonard Peltier’s release, even though the government has admitted they are not sure who actually killed the FBI agents during the 1975 conflict at Pine Ridge.

#LewisburgPA #News #IndigenousPeoples #LeonardPeltier #AmericanIndianMovement #COINTELPRO #PoliticalPrisoners