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Write to Leonard at:
Leonard Peltier # 89637-132
USP Lewisburg
PO BOX 1000
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837
US.Postal
Leonard can not receive gifts or cds. Books/magazines must be sent from a bookstore. Newspaper articles are not allowed however xerox copies of the articles are allowed.
Leonard can only receive letters, cards, postcards, photos (not polaroid), and postal money orders for his commissary account.
******The painting above was painted by Leonard himself. He is a great artist. If you are interested in buying one of his paintings please contact his Defense Committee.
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
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WHO IS LEONARD PELTIER?
Leonard Peltier is an imprisoned Native American considered by Amnesty International, the Southern Christian Conference, National Congress of American Indians, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, Archibishop Desmond Tutu and Rev. Jesse Jackson, amongst many others, to be a political prisoner who should be immediately released.
On June 26, 1975 two FBI agents in unmarked cars followed a pickup onto the Jumping Bull ranch. The families immediately became alarmed and feared an attack. Shots were heard and a shoot-out erupted. More than 150 agents, GOONS, and law enforcement surrounded the ranch. When the shoot-out ended two FBI agents and one Native American lay dead. The agents were injured in the shoot-out and were then shot at close range. The Native American, Joseph Stuntz, was shot in the head by a sniper bullet. Mr. Stuntz's death has never been investigated
The jury, unaware of facts that were not brought to trial that would prove Peltier's innocence (ballistics expert testimony, witnesses that were paid and harassed into lying by the FBI, among other things) found him guilty. Mr. Peltier since has been denied a new trial and the Judge, Judge Heaney, that denied the new trial has since voiced firm support for Mr. Peltier's release, stating that the FBI used improper tactics to convict Mr. Peltier. The FBI was equally responsible for the shoot-out, and that Mr. Peltier's release would promote healing with Native Americans.
Leonard Peltier has served 30 years in prison and is long overdue for parole. He has received several human rights awards for his good deeds from behind bars which include annual gift drives fro the children of Pine Ridge, fund raisers for battered women's shelters and donations of his paintings to Native American recovery programs.
However, the parole commission will not release him unless he admits to a crime he did not commit.
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"No human being should ever have to fear for his own life because of
political or religious beliefs. We are all in this together, my friends, the
rich, the poor, the red, white, black, brown and yellow. We share
responsibility for Mother Earth and those who live and breathe upon her
..never forget that."
Leonard Peltier
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PLEASE PRAY FOR LEONARD
Whether your prayers, chants, or
meditations go to Tunkasila, Allah, God, Buddha, or the Cosmos. The
power of our spirits together will unlock doors that those who oppose
us can never fathom opened.
May your prayers to end Leonard's suffering bring his freedom and
Blessings in your lives.
Paula Ostrovsky
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To All Indigenous People.
To AIM.
To Leonard's Sisters, Brothers, Friends and Supporters
"Where are the warriors?" Remember? These words of the past
motivated The Movement and are still pertinent today. Have we
forgotten how to be active and strong?
I'm calling out to all women, the children. I'm calling out to the
Warriors who carry the honor of their fathers' and grandfathers' and
great-grandfathers' names. Stand up for your people. Call
yourselves out. Show yourselves to Creator and present yourself,
with pride, to the world.
Stand up until the seats in the UN represent every nation of people
in Turtle Island.
Stand up and call for protection of Mother Earth.
Save Bear Butte and All Sacred sites.
Stand up for all nations and all peoples,
Stand alone together forever.
Where are the warriors?
I am making a plea to all AIM leaders and members and to all Native
peoples, especially the young people. I am making a plea to all of
Leonard's friends and supporters. Gather this June 26th in Oglala
and show Indigenous support for our brother Leonard Peltier. His
parole hearing is one short year away.
Stand up. Stand up for The People. Stand up for Leonard Peltier.
Where are the warriors?
Contact http://www.FreePeltierNow.org
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"I am an innocent man who never murdered anyone nor wanted to.
And, yes, I am a Sun Dancer. That, too is my identity. If I am to suffer as a symbol of my people, then I will suffer proudly. I will never yield"
----Leonard Peltier
from Prison Writings: My Life is My Sun Dance.
 *****Our Brother, Leonard Peltier Needs Our Support*****
Please remember to send your Prayers for his release and his health.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.
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Take a Walk in Leonard's Shoes
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Since his arrest on February 6, 1976, Leonard Peltier has lived in a cell the size of a large closet, locked away behind concrete walls and razor wire. Looking at the wall at Leavenworth Penitentiary, where Leonard is imprisoned, you wouldn't think the razor wire at all necessary. After all, the wall there reaches 40 feet towards the sky and 40 feet below ground.
"I smile when I feel like crying. I laugh when I feel like dying... I miss the simplest things of ordinary life - having dinner with friends, taking walks in the woods. I miss gardening. I miss children's laughter. I miss dogs barking. I miss the feel of the rain on my face. I miss babies. I miss the sound of birds singing and of women laughing. I miss winter and summer and spring and fall." (From "Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sundance" by
Leonard Peltier.)
Leonard remains imprisoned after 29 years, cruelly deprived of all we take for granted. He is punished for a crime he did not commit. And that is the cruelest punishment of all.
If you were in Leonard's shoes, in 30 year's time, what might YOU have missed?
What About the First Nations?
What About Leonard Peltier?
"From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man & woman on this earth has rights, & dignity, & matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven & earth. Across the generations we have
proclaimed...no one is fit to be a master, & no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation.
It is the honorable achievement of our fathers... Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, & defended by citizens, & sustained by the rule of law & the protection of minorities... America
will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, & make their own way...We will persistently clarify the choice...[t]he moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, & freedom, which is eternally right.
America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains... or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies...
America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent & the participation of the governed. In the long run,
there is no justice without freedom, & there can be no human rights without human liberty...
All who live in tyranny & hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you...
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country... know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: 'Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it'...
America has need of idealism & courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning & promise of liberty...
Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, & must always remember that even the unwanted have worth... our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom & the baggage of bigotry at the same time... we can feel... unity & pride whenever America acts for good, & the victims of disaster are given hope, & the unjust encounter justice, & the captives are set free."
Excerpts from George W. Bush's 2nd Inaugural Address.
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Visit the Peltier Legal Team's Web Site:
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
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A poem from the new book ---HAVE YOU THOUGHT of LEONARD PELTIER LATELY?
For Leonard Peltier, for Anna May Aquash and family, for those who did the deed, for those chosen to bear the cost and for all those yet to come, who will be innocent next.
A PRAYER WRAPPED IN BLUE SMOKE
by Keith Rabin
Feb. 2004 Morrison, Colorado
With a deep wanting I pray for peace,
With a wanting for peach I pray for freedom,
I pray for those lives, on all those blue smoke trails....
Those blue smoke trails, from all those sweetgrass prayers....
All those sweetgrass prayers, all those tears,
The Rez, the land, the stolen lands and all those tears,
All those tears, all those deaths, and the blue smoke trails on....
With a wanting for peace I pray,
With a deep wanting for freedom I pray,
I pray for all our lives, all lives within the circle....
I am keeper of the earth, I keep the tree alive,
Blue smoke wraps my soul, wraps our soul as I pray,
I pray for those who can't pray, I pray for those that won't pray...
With a deep wanting, with a wanting we should all pray...
For Leonard Peltier's strength and freedom,
For all who will take the time now to pray....
For the truth of Anna Mae
For the children as always
In Peace....
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REFLECTIONS FROM LEONARD
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This year will mark more than three decades of my unjust imprisonment. Behind bars I have aged from a youth myself, into an elder. As an elder I have become increasingly encouraged by the potential and promise of indigenous youth from all First Nations. Today indigenous youth have greater opportunities than possibly ever before in our peoples history. However, these opportunities were not attained without sacrifice. They arose from great struggle. They came from ordinary men and women; your relatives who made extraordinary sacrifices. These warriors’ struggle to ensure a better future for generations to come can never be taken for granted.
I am especially pleased to hear of the rising numbers of indigenous youth who are graduating from high school and entering institutions of higher learning; universities, colleges, and technical schools. Other youth are taking advantage of social programs that will assist them in each of their respective futures. These are all opportunities that as a youth I could have only dreamed of. Yet, even though we have made much progress and advances for our people we still have a long path ahead to attain justice for First Nations.
I strongly believe that the first step on that path is to always be conscious of our people’s history. Irregardless of what nation we belong to we have shared a combined history of struggle against a more than 500-year long genocide. It has been a genocide focused not only on the death of our relatives, but of our spirituality, culture, and language. All will be lost if we do not honor our ancestors by learning about their sacrifice so that the people may live. We must never forget our ways, our traditions, and our wisdom.
Each one of you must acknowledge your capacity and ability to bring about positive changes for our people. This is done not only by bettering yourself, but by helping your brothers and sisters who have wondered off the Red Road. I am deeply pained by the numbers of youth who have prematurely lost their life to gang violence and suicide. It is just as troubling to hear of those who continue to suffer from drug and alcohol abuse. I ask you to bring your brothers and sisters who need guidance and medicine to our ceremonies. It is our spirituality that has always sustained us as a people.
Throughout history there have been countless attempts to rob us as a people; our lands, our history, our language, and our culture. However, they have never been able to take our future from us. The future belongs to the Creator only and it is the Creator who gives it to the youth. As a youth it is your responsibility to honor all your relations, our Mother Earth, and the Creator by committing yourself to the struggle for a future of justice and a better tomorrow for all peoples.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse
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June 26, 2007 - Thirty-two years later.....
For the past thirty-two years supporters have gathered at Oglala to honor the lives that were lost on June 26, 1975 and the "reign of terror." This year will be the eighth year that the Oglala Commemoration Committee has sponsored the gathering. For those of us that are unable to physically attend the gathering at Oglala, we each honor and remember this day in our own special way. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the victims from the "reign of terror."
In Memory Of:
Frank Clearwater
Buddy LaMont
Sandra Wounded Foot
Leo Wilcox
Clarence Cross
Priscilla White Plume
Julius Bad Heart Bull
Melvin Spider
Philip Black Elk
Aloysius Long Soldier
Phillip Little Crow
Allison Fast Horse
Edward Means Jr.
Edward Standing Soldier
Roxeine Roark
Dennis Lecompte
Jackson Washington Cutt
Robert Reddy
Delphiene Crow Dog
Elaine Wagner
Floyd Bianas
Yvette Loraine Lone Hill
Leon L. Swift Bird
Martin Montileaux
Stacy Cortier
Edith Eagle Hawk
Jeanette Bissonette
Richard Eagle
Hilda R. Good Buffalo
Jancita Eagle Deer
Ben Sitting Up
Kenneth Little
Leah Spotted Elk
Joseph Stuntz
James Brings Yellow
Andrew Paul Stewart
Randy Hunter
Howard Blue Bird
Jim Little
Olivia Bianas
Janice Black Bear
Michelle Tobacco
Carl Plenty Arrows
Frank LaPointe
Anna Mae Pictou Aquash
Lydia Cut Grass
Byron Desersa
Lena R. Slow Bear
Hobart Horse
Cleveland Reddest
Betty Jo Dubray
Marvin Two Two
Julia Pretty Hips
Sam Afraid of Bear
Kevin Hill
Betty Means
Statement from Leonard on 30th anniversary ~ June 26, 2005
"You will always be in my prayers. Do what you can, where you can, from where you stand and - to quote Sitting Bull - let's see what kind of nation we can make for our children. I don't say I love you easily but I want you to know that I love you - my heart is with you and never, never, never give up!"
Leonard Peltier
Respectfully, Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Website: www.leonardpeltier.net
Please click here for special tribute page: http://www.leonardpeltier.net/memoryrterror.htm
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