IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE LEONARD PELTIER WALK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
NORTHWEST REGIONAL LEONARD PELTIER CLEMENCY MARCH
MAY 19, 2012, OLYMPIA, WA
MARCH: 12 NOON; Gather at Heritage Park, 5th and Water St. Across from Traditions Fair Trade. (This was the Occupy Olympia site) We will start with a welcoming (details coming soon) and march to the Capitol.
RALLY: 1:00pm WASHINGTON STATE CAPITAL
This march and rally is in support of the LEONARD PELTIER HUMAN RIGHTS MARCH which is going across the land and will be in Washington, DC on May 19, 2012. Both the Walk and this March is in support of clemency for Leonard Peltier.
CAR POOLS: PORTLAND, meet up outside of KBOO Radio Station (20 SE 8th, Portland, OR 97124) before embarking to Tacoma between 9:00-9:30am. SEATTLE: Meet at the Red Apple parking lot at 23rd and Jackson by the bus stop. Will be leaving at 10:15 am. TACOMA: 10:45, meet in parking lot in front of Bertolino Bros. Coffee Bar, Union and So. 23rd St, next to Target.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that the real motivation behind both Wounded Knee II and the Oglala firefight, and much of the turmoil throughout Indian Country since the early 1970s, was—and is—the mining companies’ desire to muffle AIM and all traditional Indian people, who sought—and still seek—to protect the land, water, and air from their thefts and depredations. In this sad and tragic age we live in, to come to the defense of Mother Earth is to be branded a criminal.” --Leonard Peltier, Prison Writings –
Leonard Peltier (of the Anishinabe, Dakota, and Lakota Nations), long time Native Activist and member of the American Indian Movement. Leonard Peltier, an innocent man who was convicted for the 1975 shooting deaths of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. prosecutors have repeatedly admitted that they did not and cannot prove Peltier's guilt, and the appellate courts have cited numerous instances of investigative and prosecutorial misconduct in this case. As late as November 2003, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that "…Much of the government’s behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed." The trial of the first two AIM members in this case were found not guilty for reason of self-defense.
Behind the case of Leonard Peltier and the events that took place on the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota Reservation is the continuing theft of Native land for energy corporations. High grade Uranium was found in the northwest corner of Pine Ridge. It was well known that the Lakota people would be unwilling to sell their land because they refused payment for the Black Hills. So a plan was carried out to suppress the traditional Oglala Lakota people and their supporters from the America Indian Movement. This lead to the Wounded Knee II Occupation, over 500 AIM members being indited on charges, a two and a half year reign of terror against the Oglala Lakota people, and the firefight near Oglala, that Leonard was charged with, that took place at the same time that a corrupt tribal Chairman was illegally signing away the part of Pine Ridge with the Uranium. The firefight took place as a means to divert attention and to suppress AIM.
This regional march in Olympia is being organized in cooperation with: members of the Olympia Community, Media Island, The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee, the Office of the Northwest Regional Organizer, LPDOC, Tacoma Chapter and Portland Chapter of the LPDOC.
OLYMPIA COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: This very important march will need strong Olympia community support. If your organization or group wants to help please start off by endorsing the Olympia Leonard Peltier Regional Clemency March. Please send notice of your endorsement, so that we can list you, to: Rick@mediaisland.org as soon as you can. Thank you.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: In Olympia: Olympia Leonard Peltier March, c/o Media Island, P.O. Box 7204, Olympia, WA 98507, (Please send donations to this address, make checks payable to the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee, mark them for Olympia March), e-mail: rick@media.island.org. Northwest Regional Organizer's Office, LPDOC, P.O. Box 5464, Tacoma, WA 98415-0464, bayou@blarg.net. LPDOC: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info. Subscribe to: Northwest Peltier Support at nwpeltiersupport-subscribe@lists.riseup.net.
RESOLUTIONS FOR CLEMENCY: Leonard needs resolutions for clemency from Tribes, Unions, Human Rights Organizations and others. Please send them to: bayou@blarg.net and contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info. See a sample resolution at http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/resolution.htm.
LINKS
Back ground article on Leonard
http://zinelibrary.info/files/2012_case_of_leonard_peltier.pdf
Video: LPDOC NW Regional Organizer Arthur J. Miller speaking about the case history of political prisoner Leonard Peltier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pvxqgIVRlo
LPDOC: Constitutional Violations in the Peltier Case http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/violations.htm
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