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Leonard Peltier

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The American Indian Movement ( AIM ) is an American Indian grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police brutality against American Indians. AIM soon widened its focus from urban issues to many Indigenous Tribal issues that American Indian groups have faced due to settler colonialism in the Americas . These issues have included treaty rights , high rates of unemployment, the lack of American Indian subjects in education, and the preservation of Indigenous cultures.

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163-754: Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who, following a controversial trial, was convicted of two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in a June 26, 1975, shooting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment and has been imprisoned since 1976. Peltier became eligible for parole in 1993. As of 2022, Peltier

326-474: A Milwaukee WI police officer, although Williams and Coler were not aware of this. Charles had met with Williams and Coler the evening before, when the agents explained to Charles they were looking for Jimmy Eagle. After turning off US Hwy 18 into the Jumping Bull Ranch ( 43°09′25.8″N 102°41′52.7″W  /  43.157167°N 102.697972°W  / 43.157167; -102.697972 ), where

489-684: A National Day of Mourning . This protest continues under the work of the United American Indians of New England , who protest continued theft of indigenous peoples' territories and natural resources. AIM has helped educate people about the full history of the U.S., and advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous American perspectives in U.S. history. Its efforts are recognized and supported by many institutional leaders in politics, education, arts, religion, and media. Professor Ronald L. Grimes wrote that in 1984 "the Southwest chapter of

652-528: A "full and independent investigation" surrounding his detention and requested that the US government remedy his situation "without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms." In 1999, Peltier filed a habeas 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

815-629: A 1995 interview with E.K. Caldwell of News From Indian Country , said that 'Mr X' was a creation of Peltier's supporters and had been named as the murderer in an attempt to gain Peltier's release from prison. 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. 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

978-483: A 71-day armed siege resulted, known as the Wounded Knee Occupation . Two Native Americans were shot and killed and a US Marshal severely wounded during this period. Wilson remained in office and, following the occupation, violence increased on the reservation, with residents reporting attacks by his henchmen. More than 50 of Wilson's opponents allegedly died violently in the next three years, although

1141-509: A Cherokee and a Lakota activist were killed by gunfire. At this point, the Oglala Lakota called an end to the occupation. Additionally, two other people went missing during the occupation and are believed to have been killed, although their bodies have never been found. One of the missing was African American civil rights activist Ray Robinson . Afterward, 1200 American Indians were arrested. Wounded Knee drew international attention to

1304-656: A bullet that passed through his hand into his head. Williams received two gunshot injuries, to his body and foot, before the contact shot to the head that killed him. Coler, incapacitated from earlier bullet wounds, was shot twice in the head. Williams' car was driven into the AIM camp farther south on the Jumping Bull property and stripped. The four guns belonging to the agents were stolen. Allegedly, Darrelle Butler took Williams' handgun, Peltier took Coler's handgun, and Robert Robideau took Coler's .308 rifle and shotgun. Stuntz

1467-534: A clemency application with the White House's Office of the Pardon Attorney , and his supporters organized a campaign to convince President Barack Obama to commute Peltier's sentence, a campaign which included an appeal by Pope Francis , as well as James Reynolds, a senior attorney and former US Attorney who supervised the prosecution against Peltier in the appeal period following his initial trial. In

1630-484: A council meeting. They charged him with nepotism in hiring tribal government staff, operating the tribe without a budget, two counts of misappropriating tribal resources for personal use, failing to compel the treasurer to make an audit report, failing to call the full tribal council according to the bylaws, using the executive committee to bypass the housing board, and illegally arresting Keith. The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council suspended Wilson by an 11-7 vote. They would need

1793-541: A delegation of Lakota Sioux , including Talon Becenti, delivered to the U.S. State Department a declaration of separation from the United States citing many broken treaties by the U.S. government in the past, and the loss of vast amounts of territory originally awarded in those treaties, the group announced its intentions to form a separate nation within the U.S. known as the Republic of Lakotah . In March 2011,

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1956-399: A dozen challengers. He placed second in the primary, and defeated Russell Means in the runoff election on February 7. A United States Civil Rights Commission investigation reported ballot tampering, a large number of ineligible voters, improprieties in the appointment of the election commission, and "a climate of fear and tension." Its report concluded the election results were invalid, but

2119-533: A former FBI Chief Agent and living under the name Darlene Ecoffey. During the Looking Cloud trial, the Honorable Lawrence L. Piersol admitted the testimony with the following statement: "The requested testimony is hearsay, but I am going to admit it for a limited purpose only. This is a limiting instruction. It isn't admitted nor received for the truth of the matter stated. In other words, whether

2282-484: A group of AIM members and leaders from Pine Ridge Reservation and leaders travelled to the county seat of Custer, South Dakota , to meet with the prosecutor. Police in riot gear allowed only four people to enter the county courthouse. The talks were not successful, and tempers rose over the police treatment; AIM activists caused $ 2 million in damages by attacking and burning the Custer Chamber of Commerce building,

2445-554: A letter to the United States Department of Justice , Reynolds wrote that clemency was "in the best interest of justice in considering the totality of all matters involved". In a subsequent letter to the Chicago Tribune , Reynolds added that the case against Peltier "was a very thin case that likely would not be upheld by courts today. It is a gross overstatement to label Peltier a 'cold-blooded murderer' on

2608-448: A number of prominent figures across a wide range of disciplines. 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. Peltier has described himself as a political prisoner . Numerous public and legal appeals have been filed on his behalf; however, due to the consistent objection of

2771-421: A pattern of law enforcement that did not provide justice to Native Americans in counties and communities bordering Indian reservations . In the winter of 1973, Wesley Bad Heart Bull , a Lakota, was stabbed to death at a bar in South Dakota by Darrell Schmitz, a white male. The offender was jailed but released on a $ 5,000 bond and charged with second degree manslaughter . Believing the charges to be too lenient,

2934-455: A request under the Freedom of Information Act prompted another examination of the FBI ballistics report used to convict Peltier. An impartial expert evaluated the firing pin linked to the gun that shot Williams and Coler and concluded that some cartridge cases from the scene of the crime did not come from the rifle tied to Peltier Again, the appeals court rejected the defense's argument, because

3097-472: A significant role in reservation affairs. Opponents criticized Wilson for favoring mixed-bloods (he was of mixed-race ancestry) over full-blood Oglala, and giving "special attention" and benefits to his friends and relatives. In response, Wilson reportedly said, "There's nothing in tribal law against nepotism ." At the time, the Lakota Sioux had brought suit against the US government for the taking of

3260-574: A station wagon. The following day, AIM member Robideau, Norman Charles, and Michael Anderson were injured in the accidental explosion of ammunition from Peltier's 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. The FBI forwarded a description of a recreational vehicle (RV) and the Plymouth station wagon (recently purchased by Peltier) to law enforcement during

3423-586: A takeover of an abandoned Coast Guard station along Lake Michigan. The takeover was inspired by the 1969 Alcatraz occupation. Activists cited the Treaty of Fort Laramie and demanded the abandoned federal property revert to the control of the Native peoples of Milwaukee. AIM protestors retained possession of the land, and the land became the site of the first Indian Community School, which operated until 1980. Also in 1971, AIM began to highlight and protest problems with

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3586-534: A time of increasing Indian activism. From November 1969 to June 1971, AIM participated in the occupation of the abandoned federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island organized by seven Indian movements, including the Indians of All Tribes and Richard Oakes , a Mohawk activist. In October 1972, AIM and other Indian groups gathered members from across the United States for a protest in Washington, D.C., known as

3749-673: A translation for the word in their language. Both the open and other now abandoned uranium mines continue to poison and pollute the land, water, and air of Navajo communities today. Clean-up has been slow even after environmental laws were passed and the dangers assessed. As a result, the Navajo people believe that the federal government has violated the Treaty of 1868 , which assigned the Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide services that safeguard their health. On March 6, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive Order 11399, establishing

3912-454: A two-thirds vote to impeach him. Hearings began on February 22. Wilson declined the waiting period permitted him and arraigned for the impeachment proceedings to commence immediately. The council unanimously approved Vincent Thunder Bull as presiding officer for the impeachment trial , which began the next day. Having expected Wilson to use the waiting period, the prosecution had not fully prepared its case. After Thunder Bull refused to permit

4075-470: A variety of causes championing Native American civil rights. 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. It was Dennis Banks who first invited Leonard Peltier to join AIM. Consequently, Peltier became an official member of

4238-495: A welder, a construction worker, and as the co-owner of an auto shop in Seattle in his twenties. The co-owners used the upper level of the building as a stopping place, or halfway house, for American Indians who had alcohol addiction issues or had recently finished their prison sentences and were re-entering society. However, the halfway house took a financial toll on the shop, so they closed it. In Seattle, Peltier became involved in

4401-530: A young man named Jimmy Eagle, who was wanted for questioning in connection with the recent assault of two local ranch hands and theft of a pair of cowboy boots. Sometime after 11:00 a.m., Williams and Coler, driving two separate unmarked cars, spotted, reported, and followed what was variously described as a red pick-up truck or van, but was in fact a white over orange Chevy Suburban Carryall carrying Leonard Peltier, Norman Charles, and Joe Stuntz. Peltier had an outstanding federal warrant for attempted murder of

4564-467: Is financed and wholly supported by the FBI, CIA, BIA, U.S. Justice Dept., and the U.S. Marshals, it is virtually impossible to for any Oglala to voice any kind of opinion which may run contrary to this puppet government with out being arrested or beaten...a policy that cannot go unchallenged or unanswered. The resulting standoff with law enforcement lasted seventy-one days, resulted in two protesters dead and one marshal paralyzed and drew national attention to

4727-581: Is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Coleman , in Florida . 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. Human rights watchdogs, such as Amnesty International , and political figures including Nelson Mandela , Mother Teresa , and the 14th Dalai Lama , have campaigned for clemency for Peltier. On January 18, 2017, it

4890-408: Is more likely that these casings were ejected from an AR-15 in the firefight that occurred after Coler and Williams were killed and other agents had joined in the shooting." "During the trial, all the bullets and bullet fragments found at the scene were provided as evidence and detailed by Cortland Cunningham, FBI firearms expert, in testimony (Ref US v. Leonard Peltier , Vol 9). Years later, in 2004,

5053-633: The African American leaders of the Civil Rights Movement as they spoke out against injustices towards their people. They addressed issues such as high unemployment, slum housing, and racist treatment. They also fought for treaty rights and the reclamation of tribal land and advocated on behalf of urban Indians. In response to its provocative events and its advocacy of Indian rights, the Department of Justice (DOJ) scrutinized

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5216-619: 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

5379-555: The Black Hills in 1877, in violation of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie that had established the Great Sioux Reservation . Wilson favored reaching a financial settlement with the US government and using the money to invest in infrastructure, education and other improvements for the tribe. By contrast, the traditionals wanted to refuse anything less than the full return of the property to the Lakota. Following

5542-504: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which administered programs and land trusts for Native Americans. The group briefly occupied BIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. A brief arrest, reversal of charges for "unlawful entry" and a meeting with Louis Bruce ( Mohawk / Lakota ), the BIA Commissioner, ended AIM's first event in the capital. In 1972, activists marched across the country on the " Trail of Broken Treaties " and took over

5705-861: The Cleveland Indians , the Atlanta Braves , the Chicago Blackhawks , the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins and has organized protests at World Series and Super Bowl games against these teams. Protesters held signs with slogans such as "Indians are people not mascots". or "Being Indian is not a character you can play". Subsequently, Cleveland and Washington have changed their team names. Although sports teams had ignored such requests by individual tribes for years, AIM received attention in

5868-654: The Department of Interior headquarters, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), occupying it for several days and allegedly doing millions of dollars in damage. AIM developed the Twenty Points , to summarize its issues with federal treaties and promises, which they publicized during their occupation in 1972. The list was largely written by the Native American activist and strategist Hank Adams . Twelve points addressed treaty responsibilities which

6031-536: The National Council on Indian Opportunity (NCIO). President Johnson said, "[T]he time has come to focus our efforts on the plight of the American Indian," and NCIO's formation would "launch an undivided, Government-wide effort in this area." Johnson tried to connect the nation's trust responsibility to the tribes and nations to contemporary African American civil rights issues, an area with which he

6194-758: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Hinton , Alberta , Canada at the Smallboy Camp, transported to Calgary , Alberta and taken to the Oakalla Prison Farm in Vancouver , British Columbia . In December 1976, Peltier was extradited from Canada based on documents submitted by the FBI. Warren Allmand , Canada's Solicitor General at the time, later stated that these documents contained false information. (Blackhorse

6357-465: The Trail of Broken Treaties . Public documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal advanced coordination occurred between federal Bureau of Indian Affairs staff and the authors of a twenty-point proposal. The proposal was drafted with the help of the AIM for delivery to the United States government officials. Its focused on proposals intended to enhance U.S.–Indian relations. In

6520-896: The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights , the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations , the European Parliament , the Belgian Parliament , and the Italian Parliament have all passed resolutions in favor of Peltier's clemency. Moreover, several human rights groups including the International Federation for Human Rights and Amnesty International have launched campaigns advocating for Peltier's clemency. In

6683-658: The United Nations Human Rights Council 's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a seventeen-page analysis of Peltier's detention, rendering the opinion that it contravenes "articles 2, 7, and 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2 (1), 9 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights , is arbitrary and falls within categories III and V." The Working Group urged

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6846-518: The "Declaration of War Against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality." They felt they were being exploited by those marketing the sales of replicated Native American spiritual objects and impersonating sacred religious ceremonies as a tourist attraction. AIM delegates are working on a policy to require tribal identification for anyone claiming to represent Native Americans in any public forum or venue. In February 2004, AIM gained more media attention by marching from Washington, D.C., to Alcatraz Island . This

7009-459: The "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples". A total of 144 states or countries voted in favor. Four voted against it while 11 abstained. The four voting against it were the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, whose representatives said they believed the declaration "goes too far". Dick Wilson (tribal chairman) Richard A. Wilson (April 29, 1934 – January 31, 1990)

7172-578: The 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims ' landing at Plymouth Rock , an AIM group seized the replica of the Mayflower in Boston. In 1971, members occupied Mount Rushmore for a few days. This huge sculpture was created on a mountain long considered sacred by the Lakota, and the associated land in the Black Hills of South Dakota was taken by the federal government after gold was discovered there. This area

7335-671: The AIM announced its support for the Gaddafi government in Libya during the First Libyan Civil War . Stating that "He [Gaddafi] has never backed down from his hatred of imperialism." and "Ghaddafi is no more a dictator than George W. Bush.", Libya and the AIM had maintained friendly relations since the 1980s, when the AIM visited Libya alongside the All-African People's Revolutionary Party in 1986, in violation of

7498-517: The AIM. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) used paid informants to report on the AIM's activities and members. In February 1973, AIM leaders Russell Means, Dennis Banks, and other AIM activists occupied the small Indian community of Wounded Knee, South Dakota , on the Pine Ridge Reservation . They were protesting what they said was the corrupt local government, federal issues affecting Indian reservation communities, and

7661-655: The American Indian Movement held a leadership conference that passed a resolution labeling the expropriation of Indian ceremonies (for instance, the use of sweat lodges, vision quests, and sacred pipes) a "direct attack and theft". It also condemned certain named individuals (such as Brooke Medicine Eagle, Wallace Black Elk, and Sun Bear and his tribe) and criticized specific organizations such as Vision Quest, Inc. The declaration threatened to take care of those abusing sacred ceremonies. In June 2003, United States and Canadian tribes joined internationally to pass

7824-711: The Earth Survival School and the Little Red Schoolhouse both located in Minneapolis. Further, AIM has led to the establishment of Women of All Red Nations (WARN). Established in 1974, WARN has put women at the forefront of the organization and focused its energies in combating sexism, government sterilization policies, and other injustices. Other Native American organizations include NATIVE (Native American Traditions, Ideals, Values Educational Society), LISN (League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations), EZLN ( Zapatista Army of National Liberation ), and

7987-471: The FBI agents. DeMain described the delegation as "grandfathers and grandmothers, AIM activists, pipe carriers and others who have carried a heavy unhealthy burden within them that has taken its toll." DeMain said he was also told that the motive for the execution-style murder of high-ranking AIM activist Anna Mae Aquash in December 1975 at Pine Ridge "allegedly was her knowledge that Leonard Peltier had shot

8150-438: The FBI in connection with her cooperation on the case. She said it was compensation for travel expenses to collect evidence and moving expenses to be farther from her ex-husband Dennis Banks, whom she feared because she had implicated him as a witness. Peltier has claimed that Kamook Nichols committed perjury with her testimony. No investigation has been opened into the allegedly perjured testimony of Kamook Nichols, now married to

8313-622: The FBI severed both of her hands and sent them to Washington, D.C., allegedly for identification purposes, then buried her as a Jane Doe. Aquash's body was later exhumed and identified by relatives. A second autopsy discovered the bullet wound and found she had been murdered. Aquash was given a second burial, before her remains were moved to her ancestral land in Nova Scotia, Canada. During the Sandinista /Indian conflict in Nicaragua of

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8476-404: 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. In January 2009, President George W. Bush denied Peltier's clemency petition before leaving office. In 2016, Peltier's attorney's filed

8639-514: The FBI, none of the resulting rulings has been made in his favor. His appeals for clemency received support from world famous civil rights advocates including Nelson Mandela , Archbishop Desmond Tutu , and Rev. Jesse Jackson , Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Lama ), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and activist Rigoberta Menchú , and Mother Teresa . International government entities such as the Office of

8802-479: The Heart of The Earth School, Little Earth Housing, International Indian Treaty Council, AIM StreetMedics, American Indian Opportunities and Industrialization Center (one of the largest Indian job training programs), KILI radio and Indian Legal Rights Centers. In 1971, several members of AIM, including Dennis Banks and Russell Means , traveled to Mount Rushmore . They converged at the mountain in order to protest

8965-615: The IITC became a Non-Governmental Organization with Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council . The organization concentrates on involving Indigenous Peoples in U.N. forums. In addition, the IITC strives to bring awareness about the issues concerning Indigenous Peoples to non-Indigenous organizations. On September 13, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted

9128-513: The IPC ( Indigenous Peoples Caucus ). Although each group may have its own specific goals or focus, they are all fighting for the same principles of respect and equality for Native Americans. The Northwest Territories Indian Brotherhood, the Committee of Original People's Entitlement were two organization that spearheaded the native rights movement in northern Canada during the 1960s. AIM established

9291-801: The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) in June 1974. It invited representatives from numerous indigenous nations, and delegates from 98 international groups attended the meeting. The sacred pipe serves as a symbol of the Nations "common bonds of spirituality, ties to the land and respect for traditional cultures". The IITC focuses on issues such as treaty and land rights, rights and protection of indigenous children, protection of sacred sites, and religious freedom. The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) uses networking, technical assistance, and coalition building. In 1977,

9454-483: The Jumping Bull family had allowed AIM to encamp, the occupants of the Suburban stopped, exited the vehicle, and a firefight ensued. Between 11:45 and 11:50 a.m., Williams radioed to a local dispatch that he and Coler had come under fire from the vehicle's occupants. Williams radioed that they would be killed if reinforcements did not arrive. He next radioed that they both had been shot. FBI Special Agent Gary Adams

9617-440: The Middle District of Tennessee from 2011 to 2017, including as Chief Judge from 2014 to 2017 – stated the following: "Pine Ridge was a powder keg with the Goon Squad operating there with the government's help. AIM was there to protect those who were not part of the Goon Squad. There were many murders and assaults in a three-year timeframe. When plain-clothed agents in unmarked cars arrived, a firefight ensued. Leonard did not shoot

9780-399: The Northern Route (basically that of 1978) or the Southern Route. Participants crossed a total of 26 states on the two different routes. The Northern Route was led by veterans of that action. The walkers used sacred staffs to represent their issues; the group supported the protection of sacred sites of indigenous peoples, traditional tribal sovereignty, issues related to native prisoners, and

9943-414: The Reagan administration's travel ban. Due to continuing dissension, AIM splits. AIM Grand Governing Council (AIMGGC) is based in Minneapolis and still led by founders while AIM-International Confederation of Autonomous Chapters is based in Denver, Colorado. The American Indian Movement founded several organizations since its establishment in 1968. Its focus on cultural renewal and employment has led to

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10106-440: The San Francisco Bay area and arriving in Washington, D.C. in July 2008. The Longest Walk 2 had representatives from more than 100 American Indian nations, and other indigenous participants, such as Maori . It also had non-indigenous supporters. The walk highlighted the need for protection of American Indian sacred sites, tribal sovereignty, environmental protection, and action to stop global warming . Participants traveled on either

10269-412: The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. 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). Leonard remained 150 miles (240 km) away from his home at Wahpeton Indian School through the ninth grade; the school forced assimilation to white American culture by requiring

10432-418: 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. The police officer who arrested Peltier, Bob Newbrook, is convinced that he "was extradited illegally and that he didn't get a fair trial in the United States." On June 7, 2022,

10595-420: The Walk. The first walk began on February 11, 1978, with a ceremony on Alcatraz Island , where a sacred pipe was loaded with tobacco. The pipe was carried the entire distance. On July 15, 1978, The Longest Walk entered Washington, D.C., with several thousand Indians and a number of non-Indian supporters. The traditional elders led them to the Washington Monument , where the pipe that had been carried across

10758-404: The Wounded Knee occupation. The event grabbed the attention of the U.S. and the world media. The movement considered the Awards ceremony publicity, together with Wounded Knee, as a major event and public relations victory, as polls showed that Americans were sympathetic to the Indian cause. AIM members continued to be active on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but Wilson stayed in office and in 1974, he

10921-440: The activists. Instead, they passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act , which protected the rights of Native Americans to exercise their traditional religions and to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites. To a lesser extent, this also allowed the use of peyote in worship for the Native American Church (NAC). Thirty years later, AIM led the Longest Walk 2, which covered 8,200 miles (13,200 km) starting from

11084-457: The agents with a stolen British .308 rifle. Peltier had an AR-15 rifle. The two agents had fired a total of five shots: two from Williams' handgun, one from Coler's handgun, one from Coler's rifle, and one from Coler's shotgun. In total, 125 bullet holes were found in the agents' vehicles, many from a .223 Remington AR-15 rifle. The FBI reported that Williams received a defensive wound to his right hand (as he attempted to shield his face) from

11247-462: The agents, and the FBI knew this but withheld evidence. The court of appeals acknowledged this but couldn't overturn the conviction due to legal standards. Judge Heaney, who wrote the opinion, later supported clemency for Leonard. Now, 38 of Judge Heaney's former clerks support parole for Leonard, including three who worked on his case. The government admits they don't know who killed the agents, but it wasn't Leonard. It's time to release Leonard and start

11410-445: The attacks. In an interview with the author Peter Matthiessen ( In the Spirit of Crazy Horse , 1983), Peltier described working on a car in Oglala, claiming he had driven back to the Jumping Bull Compound about an hour before the shooting started. In an interview with Lee Hill, though, he described being awakened in his tent at the ranch encampment by the sound of gunshots; but to Harvey Arden, for Prison Writings , he described enjoying

11573-420: The attempted murder of an off-duty Milwaukee police officer. (He was acquitted of the attempted murder charge in February 1978.) During this period, Peltier had seven children from two marriages and adopted two children. On June 26, 1975, Special Agents Ronald Arthur Williams and Jack Ross Coler of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) returned to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to continue searching for

11736-457: The attention of the press. If successful, news outlets would seek out AIM spokespersons for interviews. Rather than relying on traditional lobbying efforts, AIM took its message directly to the American public. Its leaders looked for opportunities to gain publicity. Sound bites such as the " AIM Song " became associated with the movement. During ceremonies on Thanksgiving Day 1970 to commemorate

11899-580: The ballot in California. He ran for vice president of the United States in 2020 on the Party for Socialism and Liberation ticket with Gloria La Riva as the presidential candidate, as well as tickets for other left-wing parties and on the ballot of the Peace and Freedom Party. For health reasons, Peltier withdrew from those tickets on August 1, 2020. He is of Lakota , Dakota , and Anishinaabe descent, and

12062-452: 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. KFGO obtained and published a letter that

12225-408: The beautiful morning before he heard the firing. 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. On September 5, 1975, Butler was arrested; Agent Williams' handgun and ammunition were recovered from an automobile in the vicinity of Butler's arrest location. On September 9, 1975, Peltier purchased

12388-490: The case. DeMain issued a statement saying he did not think Peltier was given a fair trial for the two murder convictions, nor did he think Peltier was connected to Aquash's death. 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. In 2003, there were federal grand jury hearings on charges against Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham for

12551-694: The children to use English and forbidding the inclusion of Native American culture. He graduated from Wahpeton in May 1957, and attended the Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau, South Dakota . After finishing the ninth grade, he returned to the Turtle Mountain Reservation to live with his father. Peltier later obtained a general equivalency degree (GED). In 1965, Peltier relocated to Seattle, Washington . Peltier worked as

12714-462: The country was smoked. Over the next week, they held rallies at various locations to address issues, including the series of proposed federal bills, American Indian political prisoners, forced relocation at Big Mountain , and the Navajo Nation . President Jimmy Carter refused to meet with representatives of The Longest Walk. However, Congress withdrew the proposed series of bills opposed by

12877-542: The courthouse, and two patrol cars. Many of the AIM demonstrators were arrested and charged; numerous people served sentences, including the mother of Wesley Bad Heart Bull . In addition to the problems of violence in the border towns, many traditional people at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were unhappy with the government of Richard Wilson , elected in 1972. When their effort to impeach him in February 1973 failed, they met to plan protests and action. Many people on

13040-560: The creation of housing programs, the American Indian Opportunities and Industrialization Center (for job training), and AIM Street Medics, as well as a legal-aid center. The American Opportunities and Industrialization Center, founded in 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has built a workforce of over 20,000 people from the entire Twin City area and tribal nations across the country and is a nationally recognized leader in

13203-637: The crime scene. However, the appeals court confirmed his conviction in 1986, noting that even though later evidence suggested there were multiple AR-15s in the area, the government's expert witness had testified during the trial that he could not match 14 shell casings to the AR-15 that killed the agents. The appeals court stated further that the fact was ultimately irrelevant given these shells were ejected in locations such that "it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to have fired at Coler and Williams from these points," instead concluding that "it

13366-491: The decades since AIM's founding, the group has led protests advocating indigenous American interests, inspired cultural renewal, monitored police activities, and coordinated employment programs in cities and in rural reservation communities across the United States. They have also allied with indigenous interests outside the United States. A U.S. government policy directive from 1940 to the early 1960s, under multiple executive administrations (both Democrat and Republican), led to

13529-741: The difference between opposition to the Sandinista government by the Miskito , Sumo , and Rama on one hand, and the Reagan administration's support of the Contras, dedicated to the overthrow of the Sandinista regime. Many AIM chapters remain committed to confronting government and corporate forces that they allege seek to marginalize Indigenous peoples. They have challenged the ideological foundations of U.S. national holidays, such as Columbus Day and Thanksgiving . In 1970 AIM declared Thanksgiving

13692-466: The election, his political connections were largely limited to Pine Ridge due to his years as a councilor, but he campaigned in all parts of the reservation and sought the support of both traditionalists and progressives. He did not support protests that year organized by AIM. The election was close, but Wilson won five of the reservation's nine districts and won heavily in Pine Ridge village. Wilson

13855-765: The erosion of Indian rights and sovereignty. On June 10, 2020, AIM Twin Cities (a splinter group from the original AIM) members tore down the Christopher Columbus statue located outside the Minnesota State Capitol . Once a widely celebrated explorer credited with discovering America, Columbus later became recognized for the atrocities he and his followers committed against natives during their American voyages. Self-declared AIM member Mike Forcia admitted to speaking with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan before

14018-508: The establishment of uranium mining operations across Navajo tribal lands. These operations often provided the only employment opportunities for Navajo people in isolated areas, and Navajo workers were initially enthusiastic about employment. The U.S. government, though, appears to have known about the harmful risks associated with uranium mining since the 1930s but neglected to inform the Navajo communities. In addition, most Navajo workers did not speak English. They had no knowledge of radiation, nor

14181-514: The event took place. The Grand Governing Council dismissed Forcia's actions as they affected their stance on peaceful grassroots initiatives and clarified his role in the splinter group. The Longest Walk (1978) was an AIM-led spiritual walk across the country to support tribal sovereignty and bring attention to a series of proposed federal bills that AIM asserted would abrogate Indian Treaties, threaten land and water rights and cut off social services. The purpose of this 3,200-mile (5,100 km) walk

14344-466: The extradition hearing, taken alone, constituted sufficient evidence to justify Mr. Peltier's committal on two murder charges." Peltier fought extradition to the United States. Robideau and Butler were acquitted on grounds of self-defense by a federal jury in Cedar Rapids, Iowa since the forensic evidence showed they had not been the ones to execute the agents and the government had no witnesses at

14507-534: The fairness of his trial, based on alleged inconsistencies in the FBI and prosecution's handling of the case. Two witnesses in the initial trial recanted their statements and stated they were made under duress at the hands of the FBI. At least one witness was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony against Peltier. During a June 8, 2024, interview by Native News Online, Peltier's serving attorney Kevin Sharp – who has also served as U.S. District Judge for

14670-454: The fall of 1975. In mid-December she was taken from Denver, Colorado, to Rapid City, South Dakota, and interrogated again, then taken to Rosebud Reservation and finally to a far corner of Pine Ridge Reservation, where she was killed by a gunshot to the back of the head. Her decomposing body was found a year later, in February 1976. After the coroner failed to find the bullet hole in Aquash's head,

14833-564: 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 help reduce violence among political opponents. At the time, he was a fugitive, with an arrest warrant having been issued in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It charged him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution for

14996-825: The first major laws contributing to U.S. Indian termination policy , proposed to terminate the federal government's relations with several tribes which were determined to be far along the path of assimilation. These policies were enacted by the United States Congress under congressional plenary power . As a result, nearly 70% of American Indians left their communal homelands on reservations and relocated to urban centers, many in hopes of finding economic sustainability. While many Urban Indians struggled with displacement and such radically different settings, some also began to organize in pan-Indian groups in urban centers. They were described as transnationals . The American Indian Movement formed in such urbanized contexts at

15159-404: The full tribal council of 18, which several times he called into session on important issues only belatedly. Wilson's main supporters were from within the town of Pine Ridge. The traditionals, who tended to be full-bloods who lived on the outskirts and followed older practices, would criticize Wilson for being too close to whites. Officials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continued to have

15322-479: The healing process." FBI radio intercepts indicated that the two FBI agents Williams and Coler had entered the Pine Ridge Reservation in pursuit of a suspected thief in a red pickup truck. The FBI confirmed this claim the day after the shootout, but red pickup trucks near the reservation had been stopped for weeks, and Leonard Peltier did not drive a red pickup truck. Evidence was given that Peltier

15485-541: The hunt for the suspects. The RV was stopped by an Oregon State Trooper, but the driver, later discovered to be Peltier, fled on foot after a small shootout. Peltier's thumbprint and Agent Coler's handgun were discovered under the RV's front seat. On December 22, 1975, Peltier was named to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. On February 6, 1976, Peltier was arrested along with Frank Blackhorse by

15648-697: The illegal seizure of the Sioux Nation's sacred Black Hills in 1877 by the United States federal government, in violation of its earlier 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie . The protest began to publicize the issues of the American Indian Movement. In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had illegally taken the Black Hills. The government offered financial compensation, but the Oglala Sioux have refused it, insisting on return of

15811-540: The information included in the FOIA request "did not refer to the .223 casing found in the agents’ car, but to other casings found at the scene." The court concluded that given the immaterial nature of this new evidence, it was not probable that the jury would have reached a different verdict had that information been available. Peltier began serving his sentences in 1977. On July 20, 1979, he and two other inmates escaped from Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc . One inmate

15974-657: The introduction of additional charges, four opposition council members and much of audience left the trial in frustration. Shortly thereafter, the remaining council voted 14-0 to close the impeachment proceedings. Several hundred protesters marched in Pine Ridge after the council meeting. Because of the heightened tension, Stanley Lyman , the BIA superintendent at the reservation, ordered the United States Marshals Service to place Wilson and his family in protective custody. On February 27, four days after

16137-546: The issues of Native American rights and conflicts on the reservation. While the standoff was underway, Wilson tried again to suspend Long from the Vice Chairmanship. He also fired tribal employees who had protested against him. On April 4, 1973 a group of AIM Wounded Knee occupants were caught by FBI Agents while leaving Wounded Knee. They were heavily armed and had a list of names of people who were to be "done away with". Wilson and members of his "GOON squad" were on

16300-417: The lack of justice in border counties. American Indians from many other communities, primarily urban Indians, rallied to come and participate in the occupation. The FBI dispatched agents and U.S. Marshals to cordon off the site. Later a higher-ranking DOJ representative took control of the government's response. During the 71-day siege, twelve people were wounded, and an FBI agent was left paralyzed. In April,

16463-594: The land to their people. The settlement money is earning interest. In 1972, Raymond Yellow Thunder , a 51-year-old Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge Reservation , was murdered in Gordon, Nebraska , by two brothers, Leslie and Melvin Hare, younger white men. After their trial and conviction, the Hares received the minimal sentence for manslaughter . Members of AIM went to Gordon to protest the sentences, arguing they were part of

16626-506: The list. Violent conflict on the reservation continued after the resolution of the Wounded Knee incident. In the three years that followed, more than 50 opponents of Wilson allegedly died violently. One was Pedro Bissonette, head of the civil rights organization, who had originally invited AIM activists to Pine Ridge. He died in a reported altercation with a BIA policeman. Residents accused GOONs of arson and frequent assault. Wilson

16789-474: The mascot debate. NCAA schools such as Florida State University , University of Utah , University of Illinois and Central Michigan University have negotiated with the tribes whose names or images they had used for permission for continued use and to collaborate on portraying the mascot in a way that is intended to honor Native Americans. AIM has been committed to improving conditions faced by native peoples. It founded institutions to address needs, including

16952-541: The mid-1980s, Russell Means sided with Miskito Indians opposing the Sandinista government. The Miskito charged the government with forcing relocations of as many as 8,500 Miskito. This position was controversial among other left-wing, indigenous rights groups and Central American solidarity organizations in the United States who opposed Contra activities and supported the Sandinista movement. The complex situation included Contra insurgents' recruiting among Nicaraguan Indian groups, including some Miskitos. Means recognized

17115-576: The murder of Anna Mae Aquash. Bruce Ellison, Leonard Peltier's lawyer since the 1970s, was subpoenaed and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, refusing to testify. He also refused to testify, on the same grounds, at Looking Cloud's trial in 2004. During the trial, the federal prosecutor named Ellison as a co-conspirator in the Aquash case. 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,

17278-606: The murder of Wesley Bad Heart Bull in a border town in early 1973, AIM chapters began forming in many places on the reservation. The Oglala Lakota saw a continuing pattern of discriminatory attacks against them in towns off the reservation, which police did not prosecute at all or not according to the severity of the crimes; they were also increasingly discontented with the poor conditions at Pine Ridge. Heated debates between AIM members and Wilson began to arise and escalate. Off-reservation AIM leaders threatened to bring their activism to Pine Ridge. Wilson agreed with AIM members that there

17441-409: The one Peltier drove. This contradictory statement by the FBI was a highly contentious matter of evidence in the trials. Though the FBI's investigation indicated that an AR-15 was used to kill the agents, several different AR-15s were in the area at the time of the shootout. Also, no other cartridge cases or evidence about them was offered by the prosecutor's office, though other bullets were fired at

17604-509: The plight of American Indians. AIM leaders were tried in a Minnesota federal court. The court dismissed their case on the basis of governmental prosecutorial misconduct. In 2014, the FBI confirmed that Robinson had been killed and buried on the reservation in April 1973 after AIM members allegedly killed him during an argument. AIM opposes national and collegiate sports teams using figures of indigenous people as mascots and team names, such as

17767-488: The press." Wilson harshly criticized AIM for the Bureau of Indian Affairs building takeover in Washington, DC in November 1972. During the incident at the BIA headquarters building, irreplaceable Indian land deeds were lost and destroyed. Wilson warned Russell Means not to bring activist violence to Pine Ridge. He obtained a restraining order to prohibit Means and Severt Young Bear from participating in any assemblies at

17930-611: The protection of children. They also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the original Longest Walk. Walkers along the Southern Route picked up more than 8,000 bags of garbage on their way to Washington. In Washington, the Southern Route delivered a 30-page manifesto, "The Manifesto of Change", and a list of demands, including mitigation for climate change, a call for environmental sustainability plans, protection of sacred sites, and renewal of improvement to Native American sovereignty and health. AIM's leaders drew inspiration from

18093-503: The protesters believed the U.S. government had failed to fulfill: In 1973, AIM was invited to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to help gain justice from border counties' law enforcement and to moderate political factions on the reservation. They became deeply involved and led an armed occupation of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1973. Other events in the 1970s were designed to gain public attention, ensuring that AIM would be noticed and highlighting what they saw as

18256-406: The reservation in February 1973. Federal forces reacted, conducting a 71-day siege, which became known as the Wounded Knee Occupation . They demanded the resignation of Wilson. Peltier, however, spent most of the occupation in a Milwaukee , Wisconsin jail charged with attempted murder related to a different protest. When Peltier secured bail at the end of April, he took part in an AIM protest outside

18419-454: The reservation were unhappy about its longstanding poverty and failures of the federal government to live up to its treaties with Indian nations. The women elders encouraged the men to act. On February 27, 1973, about 300 Oglala Lakota and AIM activists went to the hamlet of Wounded Knee for their protest. It developed into a 71-day siege, with the FBI cordoning off the area by using U.S. Marshals and later National Guard units. The occupation

18582-483: The reservation. By 1990 Wilson had returned to Pine Ridge; he was campaigning for a seat on the tribal council at the time of his death. Born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota , Wilson grew up in the town of Pine Ridge. He continued to live there as an adult. He learned the plumber's trade and worked at that craft as an adult. He and his wife had ten children. Wilson entered politics when he ran and

18745-412: The reservation. When Means spoke at a landowners' association meeting later that month at the invitation of Tribal Vice Chairman David Long, Wilson had Means arrested and tried to suspend Long from office. In late 1972, Wilson formed a private militia , which he called Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs). He said that an earlier council resolution giving the chairman powers to maintain law and order

18908-413: The rumor is true or not. It is simply received as to what the rumor was. So it is limited to what the rumor was, it is not admitted for the truth of the statement as to whether the rumor was true or not." 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. He was eventually tried by

19071-526: The scene said that Poor Bear did not know Peltier and was not present during the murders. Poor Bear later admitted to lying to the FBI, but said the agents interviewing her had coerced her into making the claims. When Poor Bear tried to testify against the FBI, the judge barred her testimony because of mental incompetence. However, the Canadian government later reviewed the extradition and concluded it had been lawful since "the circumstantial evidence presented at

19234-444: The shootout, was fatally shot, and when he was found dead, he was wearing Coler's FBI jacket. According to the FBI, Stunz had been firing at agents when he was killed. Three AIM members were indicted for the murders: Darryl Butler, Robert Robideau and Leonard Peltier , who had escaped to Canada . An eyewitness stated that the three men joined the shooting after it had started. Butler and Robideau were both acquitted at trial, and Peltier

19397-477: The state of South Dakota in 2010. During Graham's trial, Darlene "Kamook" Ecoffey said Peltier told both her and Aquash that he had killed the FBI agents in 1975. 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. American Indian Movement AIM

19560-567: The termination of Wilson's impeachment trial, local protesters and AIM activists seized the town of Wounded Knee, in protest of the outcome of the impeachment hearing. They demanded Wilson's removal from office. A letter within AIM Chapters stated, February 27, 1973, AIM Organization accepted the responsibility of providing all necessary strength and protection needed by the Oglala Sioux in the efforts to rid themselves of corrupt tribal president, Dick Wilson. Because this degenerated human being

19723-416: The threat she would be dead within the year if she refused to inform on Leonard Peltier. Aquash was arrested then quickly released shortly creating more unfounded suspicion. She disappeared in late 1975. Later it was found she had been murdered. According to testimony at trials in 2004 and 2010 of two Native rights activists convicted of her murder (Looking Cloud and Graham) kidnapped her and interrogated her in

19886-488: The time who could prove they knew they were attacking FBI officers. This was not the case in Peltier's trial, where the FBI had forensic evidence and eyewitnesses that together linked Peltier directly to the killings of the officers. Peltier's trial was held in Fargo, North Dakota , where a jury convicted him of the murders of Coler and Williams. Unlike in the trial for Butler and Robideau, the FBI produced forensic evidence that

20049-583: The truck away at high speed down the rough gravel road, resulting in a broken transmission, after which he again fled on foot. Peltier was later apprehended without incident. After a six-week trial held in Los Angeles before Judge Lawrence T. Lydick , Peltier was convicted and sentenced to serve a five-year sentence for escape and a two-year sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm, in addition to his preexisting two life sentences. Peltier's conviction sparked great controversy and has drawn criticism from

20212-517: The two FBI agents were killed by close-range shots to their heads, when they were already defenseless because of previous gunshot wounds. Consequently, Peltier could not submit a self-defense testimony like the other activists had. The jury was also shown autopsy and crime scene photographs of the two agents, which had not been shown to the jury at Cedar Rapids. In April 1977, Peltier was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Some organizations have raised doubts about Peltier's guilt and

20375-458: The two agents, as he was convicted." DeMain did not accuse Peltier of participation in the Aquash murder. 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 . On May 25, 2004, Peltier withdrew the suit after he and DeMain settled

20538-518: The workforce development field. Following the AIM's all-inclusive practice, AIOC resources are available to all regardless of race, creed, age, gender, or sexual orientation. The Tokama Institute, a division of the AIOIC, is focused on helping American Indians acquire the foundational skills and knowledge in order to obtain a successful career. Aside from post-secondary institutions, AIM has helped develop and establish its own K-12 schools including Heart of

20701-490: Was a leader in central New York in the 1950s. He struggled to resist the New York City planner Robert Moses ' plan to take tribal land in upstate New York for use in a state hydropower project to supply New York City. The struggle ended in a bitter compromise. AIM, like civil rights and antiwar activists, used the American press and media to convey its message to the United States public, creating events to capture

20864-484: Was alleged to have personally directed an assault on six AIM lawyers in February 1975, but no charges were filed. In 2000, the FBI released a report regarding these alleged unsolved violent deaths during this time on Pine Ridge Reservation and accounted for most of the deaths, and disputed the claims of unsolved and political murders. The report stated that only four deaths were unsolved and that some deaths were not murders. When Wilson ran for reelection in 1974, he faced

21027-416: Was also extradited to the United States, but charges against him related to the reservation shootout were dropped.) One of the documents relied on in Peltier's extradition was an affidavit signed by Myrtle Poor Bear, a Native American woman local to the area near Pine Ridge Reservation. While Poor Bear stated that she was Peltier's girlfriend during that time and had watched the killings, Peltier and others at

21190-484: Was announced that President Barack Obama denied Peltier's application for clemency . At the time of the shootout, Peltier was an active member of AIM, an Indigenous rights advocacy group that worked to combat the racism and police brutality experienced by Native Americans. 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

21353-418: Was begging for his life, but I shot him anyway." Bernie Nichols-Lafferty gave the same account of Peltier's statement. At the time, all were fleeing law enforcement after the Pine Ridge shootout. Earlier in 1975, AIM member Douglass Durham had been revealed to be an undercover FBI agent and dismissed from the organization. AIM leaders were fearful of infiltration. Other witnesses have testified that, when Aquash

21516-540: Was by then head of security, was an FBI informant. They confronted him and expelled him from AIM at a press conference in March 1975. Durham's girlfriend, Jancita Eagle Deer , was later found dead after being struck by a speeding car. She had last been seen with Durham, and he continued to be a suspect in her possible murder. Durham was also scheduled to testify in front of the Church Committee , but that hearing

21679-540: Was considering granting Peltier clemency . Opponents of Peltier campaigned against his possible clemency; about 500 FBI agents and families protested outside the White House , and FBI director Louis Freeh sent a letter opposing Peltier's clemency to the White House. Clinton did not grant Peltier clemency. In 2002, Peltier filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against

21842-439: Was disputed by a 2000 FBI report. The 1974 tribal chairman election was disputed, and a US Civil Rights Commission investigation showed electoral abuses amid fear and violence, and reported the election as invalid. A federal court upheld the results of the election and Wilson won. Political violence continued on the reservation. After being strongly defeated in the 1976 election for tribal chairman, Wilson moved with his family off

22005-428: Was driving a Chevrolet Suburban ; a large sport utility vehicle built on a pickup truck chassis, with an enclosed rear section. Peltier's vehicle was orange with a white roof – not a red open-bed pickup truck with no white paint. At Peltier's trial, FBI agents changed their previous statements that they had been in search of a red pickup truck and instead said they were looking for an orange and white van, similar to

22168-508: Was elected as a councilor to represent the village of Pine Ridge in the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council. Serving for six years, he chaired the council's Labor committee. There were allegations that he diverted tribal funds for his own purposes and used his private quasi-law enforcement group to intimidate opponents with violence and murder. In 1972 Wilson ran against the incumbent tribal chairman, Gerald One Feather. Before

22331-541: Was elected chairman (also called president) of the Oglala Lakota of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota , where he served from 1972–1976, following re-election in 1974. Following complaints about his favoring friends and family in award of jobs and suppressing political opponents with his private militia , Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs), members of the tribal council brought impeachment charges against him in February 1973. The prosecution

22494-413: Was found wearing Coler's FBI jacket after he was shot and killed by a BIA agent later that day. At least three men were arrested in connection with the shooting: Peltier, Robert Robideau, and Darrelle "Dino" Butler, all AIM members who were present at the Jumping Bull compound at the time of the shootings. Leonard Peltier provided numerous alibis to several people about his activities on the morning of

22657-608: Was held in Hollywood , where the actor Marlon Brando , a supporter of AIM, asked Sacheen Littlefeather to speak at the Oscars on his behalf. He had been nominated for his performance in The Godfather and won. Littlefeather arrived in full Apache regalia and read his statement that, owing to the "poor treatment of Native Americans in the film industry," Brando would not accept the award. In interviews, she also talked about

22820-410: Was inaugurated on April 10, 1972. He helped set up the first Indian housing authority on the reservation. He also began showing what his detractors would describe as authoritarian behavior. In his first week, he challenged the eligibility of council member Birgil L. Kills Straight because of residency requirements. He preferred governing using the five-member executive council instead of consulting with

22983-661: Was much more familiar. In Congress, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Indian Affairs, James Haley (D-FL), supported Indian rights. He thought that Indians should participate more in "policy matters," but he also believed that "the right of self-determination is in the Congress as a representative of all the people." In the 1960s, Haley met with President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Johnson, urging them to support Indian self-determination and control in transactions over their communal lands. One struggle

23146-536: Was one of many occasions when Indian activists used the island as the location of an event since the Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, led by the United Indians of All Tribes, a student group from San Francisco. The 2004 march was in support of Leonard Peltier , whom many believed had not had a fair trial; he has become a symbol of spiritual and political resistance for Native Americans. In December 2007,

23309-430: Was organized by American Indian men who had been serving time together in prison. They had been alienated from their traditional backgrounds as a result of the United States' Public Law 959 Indian Relocation Act of 1956, which supported thousands of American Indians who wanted to move from reservations to cities, in an attempt to enable them to have more economic opportunities for work. In addition, Public Law 280 , one of

23472-606: Was originally within the Great Sioux Reservation as created by the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, which covered most of present-day South Dakota west of the Missouri River. After the discovery of gold in 1874, the federal government broke up the large reservation and sold off much of the Black Hills to European Americans for mining and settlement. It reassigned several Lakota tribes to five smaller reservations in this area. Native American activists in Milwaukee staged

23635-399: Was over the long-term leasing of American Indian land. Non-Indian businesses and banks said they could not invest in leases of 25 years, even with generous options, as the time was too short for land-based transactions. Leasing land through business partnerships to relieve long-term poverty on most reservations was considered infeasible but returning to the 99-year lease from the 19th century

23798-675: Was raised among the Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Fort Totten Sioux Nations of North Dakota . Peltier was born on September 12, 1944, at the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa near Belcourt, North Dakota , in a family of 13 children. Peltier's parents divorced when he was four years old. Leonard and his sister Betty Ann lived with their paternal grandparents Alex and Mary Dubois-Peltier in

23961-426: Was re-elected in a contested election. The number of violent deaths increased during this period, an event which has been called the "Pine Ridge Reign of Terror", and as a result, more than 60 people, some of them were his political opponents, died in violent incidents during the next three years. On June 26, 1975, two FBI agents, Jack Coler and Ronald Williams, were on the Pine Ridge Reservation searching for someone who

24124-437: Was seen as a possible solution. However, an Interior Department memo said, "a 99-year lease is in the nature of a conveyance of the land". These battles over land had their beginnings in the 1870s when federal policy often related to wholesale taking, not leases. In the 1950s, many American Indians believed that leases had become too frequently a way for outsiders to control Indian land. Wallace "Mad Bear" Anderson ( Tuscarora )

24287-405: Was sent by Peltier's attorney to the White House. On February 6, 2023, Leonard Peltier again made a plea for clemency. On June 10, 2024, Peltier had his first parole hearing since 2009, with a decision on parole being required to come within 21 days. On July 2, 2024, Peltier was denied parole. After Peltier was denied parole, his lawyer Kevin Sharp stated that an interim hearing to discuss parole

24450-516: Was serious social damage from the high rates of unemployment, suicide, and alcoholism at Pine Ridge. He also believed that the US government had illegally broken land treaties with the Sioux, but Wilson considered AIM's militancy "more as threat than a savior" for the Indian people. Wilson would later characterize AIM activists as "the only major Indian problem...bums trying to get their braids and mugs in

24613-416: Was set in 2026, while another full hearing was set for 2039. Ahead of the 2024 parole hearing, Sharp described the hearing as "probably" Peltier's "last chance" to make a case for parole. In the documentary film Incident at Oglala (1992), AIM activist Robert Robideau said that the FBI agents had been shot by a 'Mr X'. When Peltier was interviewed about 'Mr X', he said he knew who the man was. Dino Butler, in

24776-437: Was shot dead by a guard outside the prison and another was captured 90 minutes later, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) away. Peltier remained at large until he was captured by a search party three days later near Santa Maria, California , after a farmer alerted authorities that Peltier, armed with a Ruger Mini-14 rifle, had consumed some of his crops and stolen his shoes, wallet, and pickup truck key. Peltier attempted to drive

24939-487: Was sufficient authority; he may have illegally financed the militia with tribal funds. The GOONs were accused of violence against and suppression of Wilson's political enemies. The GOONs were reported to intimidate residents of Pine Ridge Reservation for many years. Opponents of Wilson said that he was a puppet for the US government. On February 9, 1973, tribal councilors Sioux Long, Kills Straight, and C. Hobart Keith introduced eight charges of impeachment against Wilson at

25102-435: Was suspected of being an informant, Peltier interrogated her while holding a gun to her head. Peltier and David Hill were said to have Aquash participate in bomb-making so that her fingerprints would be on the bombs. 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

25265-408: Was suspended due to the deadly Pine Ridge reservation shootout. With some members in fugitive status after the Pine Ridge shootout, suspicions about FBI infiltration remained high. For various reasons, Anna Mae Aquash , the highest-ranking woman in AIM, was mistakenly suspected of being an informant, after she had voiced suspicions about Durham. Aquash was threatened by FBI agent David Price, with

25428-689: Was symbolically held at the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre . The Oglala Lakota demanded a revival of treaty negotiations to begin to correct relations with the federal government, the respect of their sovereignty, and the removal of Wilson from office. The American Indians occupied the Sacred Heart Church, the Gildersleeve Trading Post and numerous homes of the village. Although periodic negotiations were held between AIM spokesman and U.S. government negotiators, gunfire occurred on both sides. A U.S. Marshal, Lloyd Grimm,

25591-420: Was the first to respond to Williams' call for assistance from twelve miles away. But he and the other responding BIA officers also came under gunfire. They were unable to reach Coler and Williams in time, as both agents died within the first ten minutes of gunfire. It wasn't until about 4:25 p.m. that authorities were able to recover the bodies of Williams and Coler from Coler's vehicle. Norman Charles fired at

25754-472: Was to educate people about the government's continuing threat to tribal sovereignty; it rallied thousands representing many Indian nations throughout the United States and Canada. Traditional spiritual leaders from many tribes participated, leading traditional ceremonies. Non-Indian supporters included the American boxer Muhammad Ali , U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy , and the actor Marlon Brando . International spiritual leaders like Nichidatsu Fujii also took part in

25917-625: Was tried and convicted of the murder of Aquash. In Looking Cloud's trial, the prosecution argued that AIM's suspicion of Aquash stemmed from her having heard Peltier admit to the murders of the FBI agents. Darlene "Kamook" Nichols , former wife of the AIM leader Dennis Banks, testified that in late 1975, Peltier told of shooting the FBI agents. He was talking to a small group of AIM activists who were fugitives from law enforcement. They included Nichols, her sister Bernie Nichols (later Lafferty), Nichols' husband Dennis Banks, and Aquash, among several others. Nichols testified that Peltier said, "The motherfucker

26080-399: Was tried separately and controversially, he was convicted in 1976 and currently, he is serving two consecutive life sentences. The evidence which was exhibited during the trial of Butler and Robideau had been ruled inadmissible. Amnesty International has referred to his case under its Unfair Trials category. In late 1974, AIM leaders discovered that Douglas Durham, a prominent member who

26243-421: Was unprepared when Wilson said he was ready to go to trial, and the proceedings closed without completing the impeachment trial . No impeachment proceedings were renewed. Several hundred Lakota people marched in protest, demanding the removal of Wilson from office. US Marshals were assigned to protect Wilson and his family. American Indian Movement (AIM) and Lakota supporters occupied the town of Wounded Knee, and

26406-656: Was wanted for questioning which was related to an assault and a robbery which was committed against two ranch hands. The FBI agents were driving two unmarked cars, and they were also following a red pick-up truck which matched the suspect's description, driving into tribal land. The FBI agents were shot at by the occupants of the vehicle and others. The agents managed to fire five rounds before they were killed, while at least 125 bullets were fired at them. The agents were also shot at close range, with physical evidence which suggested that they had been executed. Later, reinforcements arrived, and Joe Stuntz, an AIM member who had taken part in

26569-403: Was wounded severely and paralyzed. In April, a Cherokee from North Carolina and a Lakota AIM member were shot and killed. The elders ended the occupation then. For about a month afterward, journalists frequently interviewed Indian spokesmen and the event received international coverage. The Department of Justice then excluded the press from access to Wounded Knee. The Academy Awards ceremony

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