Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is an American convicted murderer, imprisoned since 1977, and activist for Native American civil rights who joined the American Indian Movement in 1972.
He is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa. ==Early life and education== Peltier was born on September 12, 1944, Peltier's parents divorced when he was four years old.
In September 1953, at the age of nine, Leonard was enrolled at the Wahpeton Indian School in Wahpeton, North Dakota, an Indian boarding school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
He graduated from Wahpeton in May 1957, and attended the Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau, South Dakota.
Peltier later obtained a general equivalency degree (GED). ==Career and activism== In 1965, Peltier relocated to Seattle, Washington.
Consequently, Peltier became an official member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1972, which was founded by urban Indians in Minneapolis in 1968, at a time of rising Indian activism for civil rights. Wilson had created a private militia, known as the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOON), whose members were reputed to have attacked political opponents.
In the early 1970s, he learned about the factional tensions at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota between supporters of Richard Wilson, elected tribal chairman in 1972, and traditionalist members of the Lakota tribe.
Bruce Ellison, Leonard Peltier's lawyer since the 1970s, was subpoenaed and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, refusing to testify.
Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is an American convicted murderer, imprisoned since 1977, and activist for Native American civil rights who joined the American Indian Movement in 1972.
In the early 1970s, he learned about the factional tensions at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota between supporters of Richard Wilson, elected tribal chairman in 1972, and traditionalist members of the Lakota tribe.
Consequently, Peltier became an official member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1972, which was founded by urban Indians in Minneapolis in 1968, at a time of rising Indian activism for civil rights. Wilson had created a private militia, known as the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOON), whose members were reputed to have attacked political opponents.
Protests over a failed impeachment hearing of Wilson contributed to the AIM and Lakota armed takeover of Wounded Knee at the reservation in February 1973.
In a controversial 1977 trial, he was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first-degree murder of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in a June 26, 1975, shooting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In his 1999 memoir Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance, Peltier admitted to participating in the shootout but said he did not kill the FBI agents.
When Peltier secured bail at the end of April, he took part in an AIM protest outside the federal building in Milwaukee and was on his way to Wounded Knee with the group to deliver supplies when the incident ended. In 1975, Peltier traveled as a member of AIM to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to try to help reduce the continuing violence among political opponents.
(He was acquitted of the attempted murder charge in February 1978.) During this time period, Peltier had seven children from two marriages and adopted two children. == Shootout at Pine Ridge == On June 26, 1975, Special Agents Jack R.
To Harvey Arden, for Prison Writings, he described enjoying a beautiful morning before he heard the firing. On September 5, 1975, Agent Coler's .308 rifle and handgun and Agent Williams's handgun were recovered from an automobile in the vicinity of Butler's arrest location.
Both Peltier's thumbprint and Agent Coler's handgun were discovered under the RV's front seat. On September 10, 1975, AIM members Robert Robideau, Norman Charles, and Michael Anderson were injured in the explosion of a station wagon on the Kansas Turnpike close to Wichita.
Agent Coler's .308 rifle and an AR-15 rifle were found in the burned vehicle. == Trial == On December 22, 1975, Peltier was named to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Witnesses said that Ellison participated in interrogating Aquash about being an FBI informant on December 11, 1975, shortly before her murder. In February 2004, Fritz Arlo Looking Cloud, an Oglala Sioux, was tried and convicted of the murder of Aquash.
She testified that in late 1975, Peltier told her and a small group of AIM fugitive activists about shooting the FBI agents.
Bernie Nichols-Lafferty testified with a similar account of Peltier's statement. Earlier in 1975, AIM member Douglass Durham had been revealed to be an undercover FBI agent and dismissed from the organization.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that the trio planted these bombs at two power plants on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on Columbus Day 1975. During the trial, Nichols acknowledged receiving $42,000 from the FBI in connection with her cooperation on the case.
During Graham's trial, Darlene "Kamook" Ecoffey said Peltier told both her and Aquash that he had killed the FBI agents in 1975.
On February 6, 1976, Peltier was arrested after being found in a friend's cabin in Hinton, Alberta. In December 1976, he was extradited from Canada based on documents submitted by the FBI.
Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is an American convicted murderer, imprisoned since 1977, and activist for Native American civil rights who joined the American Indian Movement in 1972.
In a controversial 1977 trial, he was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first-degree murder of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in a June 26, 1975, shooting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In his 1999 memoir Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance, Peltier admitted to participating in the shootout but said he did not kill the FBI agents.
In April 1977, Peltier was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. === Inconsistencies in the prosecution's case === Numerous doubts have been raised over Peltier's guilt and the fairness of his trial, based on allegations and inconsistencies regarding the FBI and prosecution's handling of this case.
At least one witness was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony against Peltier. ==== Recanted witness statements ==== Peltier was convicted in 1977 largely on the evidence presented by three witness affidavits, all signed by Myrtle Poor Bear, that placed him at the scene of the shootout and contended that Peltier planned his crimes.
In some similar prosecutions against AIM leaders at the time, defense attorneys did present such evidence to the juries. === 1979 Prison escape === Peltier began serving his sentences in 1977.
(He was acquitted of the attempted murder charge in February 1978.) During this time period, Peltier had seven children from two marriages and adopted two children. == Shootout at Pine Ridge == On June 26, 1975, Special Agents Jack R.
In some similar prosecutions against AIM leaders at the time, defense attorneys did present such evidence to the juries. === 1979 Prison escape === Peltier began serving his sentences in 1977.
On July 20, 1979, he and two other inmates escaped from Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc.
In an interview with the author Peter Matthiessen (In the Spirit of Crazy Horse 1983), Peltier described working on a car in Oglala, claiming to have driven back to the Jumping Bull Compound about an hour before the shooting started.
South End Press, Boston, Massachusetts, 1983.
South End Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1988, 2002.
The lyrics are drawn nearly verbatim from Peltier's book, Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance. Little Steven released the song "Leonard Peltier" on his 1989 album Revolution.
South End Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990, 2002.
. == See also == List of memoirs of political prisoners List of longest prison sentences served Category:Native American activists Lapu Lapu Omar Mukhtar Chino Roces ==References== ==Further reading== "Writer Sues Peltier", Kansas City Star, July 3, 1992. Anderson, Scott.
Peltier became eligible for parole in 1993.
Dino Butler, in a 1995 interview with E.K.
Marie's song, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", with a cover on their 1995 live album 1200 Curfews.
"The Martyrdom of Leonard Peltier", Outside Magazine, July 1995. Churchill, Ward and Jim Vander Wall: Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement.
The song mentions Peltier, saying, "the bullets don’t match the gun." Sixteen Canadian artists contributed to Pine Ridge: An Open Letter to Allan Rock – Songs for Leonard Peltier, a benefit CD released in 1996 by What Magazine. Toad the Wet Sprocket reference Peltier, as well as the conflict at Pine Ridge and the Wounded Knee massacre, in their song "Crazy Life" on their album Coil: What have you done with Peltier? (1997) U2 recorded the song "Native Son" about Peltier.
In a controversial 1977 trial, he was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first-degree murder of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in a June 26, 1975, shooting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In his 1999 memoir Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance, Peltier admitted to participating in the shootout but said he did not kill the FBI agents.
In 1999, Peltier asserted on CNN that he did not commit the murders and that he has no knowledge who shot the FBI agents nor knowledge implicating others in the crime.
In the United States, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the Committee of Concerned Scientists, Inc., the National Lawyers Guild, and the American Association of Jurists are all active supporters of clemency for Peltier. === Denial of clemency === In 1999, Peltier filed a [corpus] petition, but it was rejected by the 10th Circuit Court on November 4, 2003.
Near the end of the Clinton administration in 2001, rumors began circulating that Bill Clinton was considering granting Peltier clemency.
In a 2001 interview with News From Indian Country, Bernie Lafferty said that she had witnessed Peltier's referring to his murder of one of the agents. ==Later developments== === 2002 editorial about deaths of agents and Aquash === In January 2002 in the News from Indian Country, publisher Paul DeMain wrote an editorial that an "unnamed delegation" told him that Peltier had murdered the FBI agents.
In 2002, Peltier filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S.
In a 2001 interview with News From Indian Country, Bernie Lafferty said that she had witnessed Peltier's referring to his murder of one of the agents. ==Later developments== === 2002 editorial about deaths of agents and Aquash === In January 2002 in the News from Indian Country, publisher Paul DeMain wrote an editorial that an "unnamed delegation" told him that Peltier had murdered the FBI agents.
South End Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1988, 2002.
South End Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990, 2002.
In the United States, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the Committee of Concerned Scientists, Inc., the National Lawyers Guild, and the American Association of Jurists are all active supporters of clemency for Peltier. === Denial of clemency === In 1999, Peltier filed a [corpus] petition, but it was rejected by the 10th Circuit Court on November 4, 2003.
In 2003 two Native American men were indicted and later convicted of the murder. On May 1, 2003, Peltier sued DeMain for libel for similar statements about the case published on March 10, 2003, in News from Indian Country.
DeMain stated he did not retract his allegations that Peltier was guilty of the murders of the FBI agents and that the motive for Aquash's murder was the fear that she might inform on the activist. ===Indictments and trials for the murder of Aquash=== In 2003 there were federal grand jury hearings on charges against Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham for the murder of Anna Mae Aquash.
Peltier ran for President of the United States in 2004, winning the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party, and receiving 27,607 votes, limited to the ballot in California.
District Court for the District of Columbia against the FBI, Louis Freeh and FBI agents who had participated in the campaign against his clemency petition, alleging that they "engaged in a systematic and officially sanctioned campaign of misinformation and disinformation." On March 22, 2004, the suit was dismissed.
On May 25, 2004, Peltier withdrew the suit after he and DeMain settled the case.
He also refused to testify, on the same grounds, at Looking Cloud's trial in 2004.
Witnesses said that Ellison participated in interrogating Aquash about being an FBI informant on December 11, 1975, shortly before her murder. In February 2004, Fritz Arlo Looking Cloud, an Oglala Sioux, was tried and convicted of the murder of Aquash.
Ecoffey testified under oath, "He (Peltier) held his hand like this", she said, pointing her index finger like a gun, "and he said 'that (expletive) was begging for his life but I shot him anyway.'" Graham was convicted of murdering Aquash and sentenced to life in prison. ===Presidential politics=== Peltier was the candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party in the 2004 election for President of the United States.
"Have You Thought of Leonard Peltier Lately?" HYT Publishing, 2004.
He was forced to resign from the ticket for health reasons in early August 2020, and was replaced with Sunil Freeman. ===Ruling on FBI documents=== In a February 27, 2006, decision, U.S.
Not 'til my people are free will I give up and if I have to sacrifice some more, then I sacrifice some more." French singer Renaud released a song called "Leonard's Song" in his 2006 album Rouge Sang.
Peltier has claimed that Kamook Nichols committed perjury with her testimony. On June 26, 2007, the Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered the extradition of John Graham to the United States to stand trial for his alleged role in the murder of Aquash.
In January 2009, President George W.
He was eventually tried by the state of South Dakota in 2010.
He was sent back to Lewisburg, where he remained until the fall of 2011, when he was transferred to a federal penitentiary in Florida.
Five years later, "Native Son" was released on their digital album Unreleased and Rare (2009). Bring Leonard Peltier Home in 2012 was a concert that took place at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.
. ==External links== Native American Activist Leonard Peltier's Jailhouse Plea for Long-Denied Clemency, an interview with Peter Coyote on Democracy Now!, December 13, 2012 The Leonard Peltier Trial (Documents) Leonard Peltier: "When Truth Doesn't Matter.
As of 2016, Leonard Peltier is housed at Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Coleman, Florida. ==In popular culture== ===Sculpture=== In 2016, a statue of Peltier, based on a self portrait he made in prison, was created by artist Rigo 23 and installed on the grounds of American University in Washington, D.C..
The film argues that the government's prosecution of Peltier was unjust and motivated by the hugely profitable energy interests in the area. ===Music=== Free Salamander Exhibit released the song "Undestroyed" on December 13, 2016.
On January 18, 2017, it was announced that President Barack Obama denied Peltier's application for clemency.
It is a gross overstatement to label Peltier a 'cold-blooded murderer' on the basis of the minimal proof that survived the appeals in his case." On January 18, 2017, two days before President Obama left office, the Office of the Pardon Attorney announced that Obama had denied Peltier's application for clemency.
On June 8, 2018, KFGO Radio in Fargo, N.D., reported that Peltier filed a formal clemency request with President Trump.
He ran as Vice President of the United States in 2020, on a ticket with Gloria La Riva as the presidential candidate, on tickets for the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Peace and Freedom Party.
He withdrew from those tickets on August 1, 2020 for health reasons. Peltier is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Florida.
His presidential candidacy received 27,607 votes, approximately 0.2% of the vote in that state. In 2020 he ran as the vice-presidential running mate of Gloria La Riva, on the ticket of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the presidential campaign.
He was forced to resign from the ticket for health reasons in early August 2020, and was replaced with Sunil Freeman. ===Ruling on FBI documents=== In a February 27, 2006, decision, U.S.
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