Here’s an update the situation of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who has been in jail for decades — he’s now in the U.S. Penitentiary, Coleman, north of Tampa; two events are planned for Peltier supporters this week in the Tampa Bay area.
There’s a rally on Tuesday in Tampa and a meet & greet with his attorney in St. Petersburg on Sunday.
Leonard Peltier is a 73-year old Native American activist who is imprisoned at the U.S. Penitentiary, Coleman north of Tampa. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1975 shooting of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In 1977 he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.
In its 2010 Annual Report, Amnesty USA lists Peltier’s case under “Unfair Trials.”
Joining us in the studio were two supporters of Peltier. Paulette Dauteuil is director of the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, which is now located in Tampa and Sheridan Murphy of the American Indian Movement.
Listen to this segment of the show here:
Peltier applied for clemency from President Barack Obama, but it was not granted. His next scheduled parole hearing is 2024. He could also apply to Donald Trump for presidential clemency. Is that an avenue that might be pursued?
On Tuesday tthere’s a Free Peltier Rally from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse located at 801 North Florida Avenue in Tampa.
On Sunday in St. Petersburg the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee is hosting a “meet & greet” with Peltier’s lawyer. It’s from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at St. Pete Community Acupuncture,
1624 Central Ave.
In the beginning of the show we heard an MLK speech that criticizes consumerism and even vehicle ads. Certain bits from that speech were used in a Dodge Ram commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
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In case the truth matters:
Mark Potter: “Did you fire at those agents, Coler and Williams?
Leonard Peltier: “I shot in their direction, yes.”
CNN interview, Oct 1999. Later in the interview, Peltier admits for the first time on camera that he left his firing position near a large tree and stood over the two dead agents, moments after they were both shot in the head at point-blank range.
“…I can’t tell the system I was shooting at their police officers that were trying to arrest me. They’ll hold that against me. I’ve got to be careful about that stuff.”
Leonard Peltier, 1995 interview with Native journalist Richard LaCourse, admitting that he mistakenly believed the FBI agents were there to arrest him. Peltier was a wanted fugitive for the attempted murder of a police officer in Wisconsin. Agents Coler and Williams were looking for someone else when Peltier opened fire on their FBI cars.
“When all is said and done, however, a few simple but very important facts remain. The casing introduced into evidence in fact had been extracted from the Wichita AR-15. This point was not disputed.”
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, Feb 1986, finding of fact that a shell casing found at the murder scene was ejected from the AR-15 assault rifle carried by Leonard Peltier. Over a hundred shell casings, all matched to Peltier’s weapon, were found in the area where he was seen shooting. There were over a hundred bullet holes in the FBI cars.
“The record as a whole leaves no doubt that the jury accepted the government’s theory that Peltier had personally killed the two agents, after they were seriously wounded, by shooting them at point blank range with an AR-15 rifle ….The critical evidence in support of this theory was a casing from a .223 caliber Remington cartridge recovered from the trunk of [the car of one of the murdered agents] …The district court, agreeing with the government’s theory … sentenced Peltier to two consecutive life sentences.”
United States v. Peltier, 800 F.2d 772, 772-73 (8th Cir. 1986)
“The motherf—er was begging for his life but I shot him anyway.”
Sworn testimony attributed to Leonard Peltier, boasting in the Marlon Brando motor home about shooting Ronald Williams, as heard by Dennis Banks, Ka-Mook Banks, Bernie Lafferty, and (soon-to-be-murdered) Anna Mae Aquash. According to the autopsy report, Ronald Williams died with his right hand held up in front of his face; there were powder burns on his fingers.
“There is no doubt that in June 1975 Leonard Peltier put a loaded gun in my mother’s mouth during one of her interrogations and that six months later, other members and leaders of the American Indian Movement carried out my mother’s torture, rape and murder. Leonard knows a lot about the people involved but even today, after all these years, he refuses to cooperate in the on-going murder investigation.”
Denise Maloney, daughter of AIM murder victim Anna Mae Pictou Aquash (Mi’kmaq)
“… the greater probability is that you yourself fired the fatal shots… It would be unjust to treat the slaying of these F.B.I. agents, while they lay wounded and helpless, as if your actions had been part of a gun battle. Neither the state of relations between Native American militants and law enforcement…nor the exchanges of gunfire between individuals at the Jumping Bull Compound and the law enforcement agents who arrived there during the hours after Agents Coler and Williams were murdered, explains or mitigates the crimes you committed…Your release on parole would promote disrespect for the law….”
Leonard Peltier’s 1999 Parole Board, commenting on his aiding and abetting conviction.
“For me it’s something very heroic that he’s done. He’s putting himself at risk, seriously at risk. I will say this: that this brother is a very strong brother. He is not a cold-blooded murderer. He is not a bad person, he’s very kind, generous and sincere.”
Leonard Peltier, 1991 Darrin Wood interview, describing the man who executed Ronald Williams and Jack Coler.
“I never thought my commitment would mean sacrificing like this, but I was willing to do so nonetheless. And really, if necessary, I’d do it all over again, because it was the right thing to do.”
Message from inmate Peltier, 2/6/2010.
Parole may be granted when the offender’s “…release would not depreciate the seriousness of the offense.”
DOJ policy statement on parole. In his petition for clemency to President Obama, Peltier says he ran in the direction of “women and children” after, as he also claims in his book, waking up to the sound of gunfire in his tent a quarter mile from the murder scene. Peltier had hoped the president was unaware that the 8th Circuit established that the gunfire actually started when Peltier emerged from his Suburban van and opened fire on the FBI agents. Peltier’s worst enemy has always been the truth.