April 30: "Freedom of Information: The FBI, Indian Country & Surveillance" to feature the art of Leonard Peltier

Freedom of Information: The FBI, Indian Country, & Surveillance. 30 April - 16 May. Ahalenia Studios • 1422 Second Street • Santa Fe, New Mexico • Contact. This art show explores the personal experiences of artists who have been incarcerated, threatened, attacked, or spied upon by the FBI, but also artists who have worked with the FBI as prosecutors and who have been helped by the FBI in investigations. Artists explore the effect of these experiences on their personal lives. We also examine how, due to technological advances, surveillance has become utterly ubiquitous and even accepted in today's world. What does this lack of privacy mean to us individually and collectively? How does it change our behavior? And where ultimately will it lead us? See http://www.ahalenia.com/freedom/.

June 5: Leonard Peltier table at the Native American InterTribal Festival, Palmer Lake, CO

Visit the Woodland Park Leonard Peltier Support Branch and LeonardPeltierArt.com table at the Native American InterTribal Festival, sponsored by the Palmer Lake Historical Society, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission to the Festival is free. The Festival will be held at the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts, 304 Highway 105, Palmer Lake, CO, and across Highway 105 next to the lake.

Leonard Peltier Support Branch to Table at the Stanford U Powwow May 7-9

Join the Leonard Peltier Support Branch of Northern California and AIM West at the 39th Annual Stanford University Powwow!

Friday: 6pm-10pm; Saturday: 10am-10pm; and Sunday 10am-6pm.

The Stanford Powwow is held every Mother's Day Weekend in the Eucalyptus Grove on Stanford campus. Open to the Public Rain or Shine. Donation for admission. Visit http://www.stanfordpowwow.org/ for more information or contact the info@stanfordpowwow.org.

2010 Leonard Peltier Scholarship Awarded

April 23, 2010

We are very pleased to announce that the 2010 Leonard Peltier Scholarship was awarded to Katherine Stover of Kyle, South Dakota. She is working on her Master's degree in Business Management with a minor in Accounting. Congratulations Kathy.

Running a business for 5 years, Kathy has high hopes that her education will help her business thrive. She has worked very hard to attain a 4.0 average, while working long hours and raising a family. Kathy is a single mother of 3.

"I have known Ms. Stover for 15 years and watched her grow from a wonderful young woman into a strong dynamic woman who is a remarkable role model for our youth. Our Native youth need role models that can inspire them and Kathy is one of those inspirations," said Karlene Hunter, Chief Executive Officer, Native American Natural Foods.

The Oglala Commemoration would like to thank the Oglala Lakota College financial office, Ms. Billi Hornbeck and the whole crew for all the work they do selecting the best recipient for the Peltier Scholarship.

This scholarship was created to honor Leonard Peltier's vision of empowering the Oglala People to play an active part in defining the future direction of the tribe. ALL have the potential to raise above their circumstances and contribute to the preservation of the Lakota language, culture, and spiritual traditions through education.


The Oglala Commemoration Committee
www.oglalacommemoration.com

UPR Submission of the STP on the US: On Behalf of Leonard Peltier

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) expressly endorses and welcomes the new relationship between the United States of America and the native nations since President Barrack Obama came into office. The reception of representatives of all the 564 officially recognised tribes by President Obama at the White House in November 2009 is an encouraging proof for the readiness of the Obama administration to respect the native nations as equitable partners.

Nevertheless, there are still some critical topics on the human rights agenda we would like to mention.

The Case of the Native American civil rights activist Leonard Peltier

Peltier, who has spent more than half of his life in prison, turned 65 on 12 September 2009. In 1976 he was given two consecutive life sentences after he was found guilty of killing two FBI agents in a shoot-out at the Lakota Sioux Indian Pine Ridge Reservation in the State of South Dakota. However a ballistics report found that the fatal shots had not been fired from Peltier's gun. An alleged eye-witness withdrew her testimony. Amnesty International criticized the trial as unfair. Celebrities like the late Simon Wiesenthal, one of STP’s most distinguished counsellors, and the laureates of the Nobel Prize for Peace Nelson Mandela and Rigoberta Menchú as well as hundreds of thousands concerned citizens from all over the world have already advocated for Mr. Peltier’s release.

Leonard Peltier does not represent a risk to the public. First, he has no prior convictions and has advocated non-violence throughout his prison term. Furthermore, Leonard Peltier has been a model prisoner. He has received excellent evaluations from his supervisors on a regular basis. He continues to mentor young Native prisoners, encouraging them to lead clean and sober lives. He has used his time productively becoming a talented painter and an expressive writer. Although Leonard Peltier sticks to his testimony that he did not kill the agents, he has openly expressed sadness over their deaths. While our organisation is aware of the seriousness of the conviction we would also like to emphasize the humanitarian work he has done during the 33 years of incarceration. He donated his artwork for charities and won several awards including the Spanish Human Rights Commission’s International Human Rights Prize.

Regrettably, on 21 August 2009 the Parole Commission refused Peltier's application for a release on parole. The parole decision has been affirmed by the U.S. Parole Commission in February 2010. It is quite possible that he will not be alive anymore by survive until his next full parole hearing, which is due in 2024. At that time he would be 80 years old. Peltier has suffered a stroke which left him partially blind in one eye. For many years, he has had a seriously debilitating jaw condition which left him unable to chew properly and caused consistent pain and headaches. Leonard Peltier suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition. He is at the risk of turning blind, suffering kidney failure, a stroke, and premature death as a result of his diet, living conditions, and health care. Therefore, in the name of humanity, we call on the UN Human Rights Council to reconsider the Peltier case and appeal to President Barack Obama to grant Executive Clemency to Leonard Peltier.

Uranium mining

The Havasupai and Hualapai tribes have struggled for the protection of their land in the Grand Canyon area in Arizona from uranium mining for decades. Their sacred mountain Red Butte is situated on the Coconino Plateau which in the area of the Grand Canyon National Park is strewn with more than 1.000 claims for uranium mines. Along the Colorado River there are 10.6000 claims. The Colorado River and its tributaries provide drinking water to more than 30 million people in California, Arizona and Nevada – including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

The Havasupai and Hualapai depend on the river as a source for clean water. Tourism is one of the most important sources of income. But most likely uranium mining in this area would disrupt this economy. Moreover, Supai village in the Havasu Canyon is flooded at times of the year with water from the river. As soon as the mines would be in operation there would be a great risk for radioactive pollution for this smallest indigenous community in the US. As a result of past mining, the National Park Service now warns against drinking from several creeks in the Canyon exhibiting elevated uranium levels already now. Canyon Mine’s owner Denison Mines Corporation still has to realise some environment impact studies but has completed the plans to open mine after the final permission.

Together with representatives of environment protection groups the Havasupai and Hualapai tribes support the legislation proposed by Congressman Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act, which would permanently protect Grand Canyon’s watersheds from new uranium mining. It would permanently protect 1 million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park by prohibiting new mining claims and the exploration and mining of existing claims for which valid existing rights have not been established. The public lands protected by the bill are the last remaining public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park not protected from new uranium development (the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest south of the Canyon, the Kanab Creek watershed north of the Park, and House Rock Valley, between Grand Canyon National Park and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument). The Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act should be ratified as soon as possible.

Safe water is a human right

The Lakota in South Dakota suffer from radioactive pollution of the ground water they depend on as their source of water. In the Pine Ridge reservation 65 per cent of the population and the schools depend on private wells. The main source of water is the Arikaree Aquifer. According to the Environment Protection Agency EPA, individual private U.S. household well owners are responsible to test their own water. If home owners use their own private well as their source of drinking water, they are responsible for any remediation the water may need. The Safe Drinking Water Act thereby fails to protect the water quality in the reservations, where most of the residents are too poor to finance the control of their water quality or pay for any remediation themselves. According to the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe (OST) there is a significant rise in cases of cancer, diabetes, kidney failures as well as miscarriages and newborns with abnormalities.

Groundwater pollution is supposed to be a major cause for these illnesses. But the Lakota Sioux do not have the means and do not receive any governmental support to assay the water. It was only due to the financial commitment of the German NGOs Lakota Village Fund and Voorman & Friends for Charity that in the summer 2009 across the reservations water samples were taken in 18 communities and analysed. The results of 64 probes that have been analysed so far are alarming: 29 probes prove radioactive pollution, 14 probes prove contamination with arsenic and lead. A number of reasons contributed to the groundwater pollution, among those are natural radioactivity in the surrounding of Aquifers and Uranium deposits, uranium mining in the Black Hills and neighbouring Nebraska, groundwater pollution caused by the former Badlands Bombing and Gunnery Range through US military. The Lakota Sioux like any other human being have a right to safe water. They should not be left alone with the consequences of water pollution they are not responsible for.

New Zealand Endorses the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – New Zealand on Monday endorsed the UN declaration on the rights of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples, a 2007 document enshrining their land, resource and human rights.

"In keeping to our strong commitment to human rights, and indigenous rights in particular, New Zealand now adds its support to the declaration both as an affirmation of fundamental rights and in its expression of new and widely supported aspirations," said Pita Sharples, New Zealand's minister of Maori affairs.

New Zealand had been one of only four countries to vote against the declaration -- along with Australia, Canada and the United States -- when it was adopted in September 2007 by the UN General Assembly.

Fully 143 countries voted in favor, and 11, including Russia and Colombia, abstained.

Sharples said New Zealand "acknowledges and understands the historic injustices suffered by Maori in relation to their land and resources and is committed to addressing these" through the established settlement process under the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi signed by the Maori and the British Crown.

He noted that many Maori groups have already benefited from the transfer of considerable land, forest and fisheries assets through negotiated treaty settlements.

However he conceded that "redress offered in treaty settlements is... constrained by the need to be fair to everyone and by what the country as a whole can afford to pay."

His announcement was immediately hailed by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which kicked off an 11-day session here to discuss the impact of development policies on native peoples' culture and identity.

"The Permanent Forum looks forward to continuing its engagement with the government of New Zealand in a spirit of cooperation in order to advance the rights of indigenous peoples in New Zealand and around the world," said Bolivia's Carlos Mamani Condori, the current forum chair.

Tonya Gonnella Frichner, a member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and the North American representative on the Permanent Forum, said Canada was also moving toward adopting the declaration and expressed hope that US President Barack Obama would keep his election campaign pledge to back the text as well.

Some 2,000 indigenous people representing UN member states, UN agencies and civil society are taking part in the session.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon opened the session by telling the indigenous community; "You are full and equal members of the United Nations family."

"Indigenous cultures, languages and ways of life are under constant threat from climate change, armed conflict, lack of educational opportunities and discrimination," he added.

"We need development that allows indigenous peoples, the UN system and all other partners to ensure that the vision behind the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples becomes a reality for all," Ban said.

Leonard Peltier to the climate conference attendees (Bolivia)

April 20, 2010


My warmest regards to our host, Bolivian President Evo Morales.

To Presidents Rafael Correa, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, and other esteemed Heads of State; national representatives; and all concerned citizens in attendance at the People’s Conference on Climate Change: I send warm greetings and thank you for your participation.

Today, environmentalists are often portrayed as marginal intellects and labeled “lunatic fringe,” rather than progressive thinkers with the ability to foresee the true cost of destructive corporate practices. I applaud your intent to ignore your detractors and admire your efforts to refine the proposals from the Copenhagen meetings—in particular, towards the creation of a world tribunal for climate issues and a global referendum on environmental choices. I know the calculus of this work is difficult to solve. Listening to the voices of so many to create a common solution is a unique and difficult challenge, but also a special opportunity. I offer prayers for your success.

My name is Leonard Peltier. I am a citizen of the Dakota/Lakota and Anishinabe Nations of North America. Like many of you, I am a tribal person. As Aboriginal peoples, we have always struggled to live in harmony with the Earth. We have maintained our vigilance and bear witness to a blatant disregard for our planet and sustainable life ways. We’ve seen that the pursuit of maximized profits through globalization, privatization, and corporate personhood has become a plague that destroys life. We know that it is not only the land that suffers as a result of these practices. The people most closely associated with the Earth suffer first and most.

The enormous pressures of corporate profits have intruded on our tribal lands, but also on our ancient cultures—even to the extent that many Indigenous cultures have virtually disappeared. Just as our relatives in the animal kingdom are threatened, many more cultures are on the brink of extinction.

In America, we are at ground zero of this war for survival and most often have been left with no mechanism to fight this globalization monster. On those occasions when we are forced into a defensive posture, we are disappeared, tortured, killed, and imprisoned. I myself have served over 34 years in prison for resisting an invasion intent on violating our treaties and stealing our land for the precious resource of uranium. The same desire for uranium has decimated and poisoned the Diné Nation of Arizona and New Mexico. The quest for land for dumping and hiding the toxic waste from various nuclear processes has caused a war to be waged on the Shoshone people of Nevada, as well. These are just a few examples of what “progress” has meant for our peoples. As many can attest, the same struggle is occurring throughout Central and South America. While my defense of my tribal lands made me a political prisoner, I know I’m not at all unique. This struggle has created countless other prisoners of conscience—not to mention prisoners of poor health and loss of life way, as well as victims of guilt and rage.

To live as we were meant to live is our first right. To live free of the fear of forced removal, destroyed homelands, poisoned water, and loss of habitat, food sources, and our overall life way is our righteous demand. We, therefore, continue our struggle to survive in the face of those who deny climate change and refuse to curb corporate powers.

It is time for all our voices to be heard.

It is time we all listen, too—or else our collective Mother will dramatically and forcefully unstop our ears.

The Indigenous Peoples have been the keepers of knowledge and wisdom—long ago bringing forth foods, medicines, and other products from which the world population still benefits. The loss of our lands and cultures, therefore, is a loss for the entire human family. We are all citizens of Earth and this planet is our only home. What affects one, affects us all. We are all interconnected and our fates are intertwined.

We can indefinitely survive here, but only if we work together to adopt sustainable models for living responsibly. We cannot continue to destroy Creator’s work, or allow others to do so, in the belief that there will be no consequences.

I pray for a new age—a new understanding, consciousness, and way of being—a new path for all the peoples of the world.

Aho! Mitakuye Oyasin!

(Thank you to all my relations. We are all related.)

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,



Leonard Peltier 89637-132
USP-Lewisburg
US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837
USA



Contact:

LP-DOC - PO Box 7488 - Fargo, ND 58106
(701) 235-2206 (Phone); (701) 235-5045 (Fax)
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info

Build the Dream

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be the first on the National Mall to recognize a person of color and a man of peace, not a president or a veteran of war. In 1996 Congress authorized the Memorial Foundation to raise funds to establish a national memorial to honor the legacy of Dr. King on the National Mall. The memorial’s very existence signifies that we as a people believe Dr. King and his legacy deserve this esteemed placement in what can be considered America’s “Hall of Fame.”

BuildTheDream.org
Twitter @mlkmemorial
Facebook.com/MLKNationalMemorial"

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity"--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Leonard Peltier: Pacific NW hosts events on political prisoners, political repression

“Freedom of Speech Now!” Political Prisoners, Political Repression and the Prison Industrial Complex
Wednesday and Thursday, April 21st and 22nd, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., daily
Washington State University, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver

FREE EVENT, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
AND FREE FOOD!

Poster
Program

Speakers:

Darrelle "Dino" Butler, “Indigenous Political Prisoners: The Case of Leonard Peltier and the American Indian Movement”
Jeff Luers, “The Green Scare: Earth and Animal Liberation”
Stephanie Boston, “Resisting Political Repression”
Peter Bohmer, “I was a Victim of COINTELPRO: Contemporary Reflections on Political Repression in the U.S.”
Ashanti Alston Omowali “Revolutionizing Freedom of Speech: Political Prisoner Amnesty and Prison Abolition in the 21st Century”
Dr. Jacques Depelchin, “Silences in African History: Freedom of Speech in Haiti and Democratic Republic of the Congo”
Kent Ford, “From COINTELPRO to the PATRIOT ACT: The Legacy of Political Repression and Political Prisoners in the United States”

SPONSORS

The Jericho Movement for Political Prisoner Amnesty; ASWSUV; Education Without Borders; Students for Unity (PSU); Pan American Solidarity Organization (PSU); Student Animal Liberation Coalition (PSU); International Socialist Organization (PSU); Black Studies Department (PSU); Northwest Student Coalition; Portland Central America Solidarity Committee; Cascadia Convergence Network; Cascadia Rising Tide; Portland Animal Defense League; Students for Environmental Justice (MHCC); Black Student Union (MHCC); Black Student Union (WSUV); Social and Environmental Justice (WSUV); E’Njonis Café; Chako Kum Tux Club (MHCC); Rose City Copwatch; Fire Frashour Campaign

NWSTUDENTCOALITION.NET
social.environmental.justice@gmail.com

Satellite Events:

"Freedom of Speech Now!" Political Prisoners, Political Repression and the Prison Industrial Complex. Jazz Cafe at Mt. Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark Street, Gresham, OR. 4:00-7:00 p.m. Flyer

"Freedom of Speech Now!" Political Prisoners, Political Repression and the Prison Industrial Complex. Student Center at Mt. Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark Street, Gresham, OR. 3:00-6:00 p.m. Flyer

"Freedom of Speech Now!" Political Prisoners, Political Repression and the Prison Industrial Complex. Smith Room 327, Portland State University, 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR. 2:00-5:00 p.m. Flyer

"Freedom of Speech Now!" Political Prisoners, Political Repression and the Prison Industrial Complex. Smith Room 294, Portland State University, 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR. 4:00-7:00 p.m. Flyer

AIRRO Listening Session: Human and Civil Rights Violations in Indian Country

The American Indian Rights and Resources Organization ("AIRRO"), a national not-for-profit Native American civil rights group, will be hosting a listening session regarding human and civil rights violations in Indian Country. The session is scheduled for April 17, 2010 in Sacramento, California. The listening session will be held at the Sacramento Native American Health Center, at 2nd Floor Community Room from 10 am to 4 pm.


The focus of the session will be to provide individuals, groups and tribes with an opportunity to testify to violations of basic human and civil rights to which they may have been subjected, or which have affected their lives and communities. Those who testify will also be asked to provide feedback regarding the United States' handling of rights violations in Indian Country and offer recommendations on how the protection of basic rights can be improved.


AIRRO will compile the testimony and recommendations given at the session and prepare a report which they will submit to the Department of State, the Department of Justice, the Interior Department and the UN Human Rights Council.


If you cannot attend but wish to submit testimony or provide recommendations on how the protection of human and civil rights can be improved, please contact AIRRO at mail (at) airro.org.

New Shirt Available

NEW
T-Shirt - $18.00 plus S&H (USD)





Order #: TS01
Description: Free Peltier
Color: White
Style: Standard T-Shirt, Classic Design
Sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X

Download Standard Order Form (Word Format)

The LP-DOC routinely uses Priority Mail (domestic and international) from the U.S. Postal Service. Delivery takes 1-3 days for U.S. destinations and 6-10 days for international destinations. S&H for 1 (one) shirt to a U.S. destination: $4.95; for Canada/Mexico: $11.45; for all other countries: $13.45.

Prepayment is required and all sales are final. Mail a completed order form and your check or money order made payable to the "LPDOC". Or order securely online via PayPal.

Leonard Peltier: Our beloved Wilma Mankiller

Sisters, brothers, friends and supporters,

I'm sure all of you have heard about the passing of Wilma Mankiller. She was someone who brought hope to many people all across the world with her courage and her ability to bridge gaps and bring positive change. She was embraced by many people, and she will always be remembered by me as a woman who spoke in support of justice for me--even when it might not have been in her best interest politically.

I became aware of Wilma’s good work many years ago and was often heartened by her efforts. She understood the struggle for justice for indigenous people all over North America and around the world. Yet, it is my understanding that her heart always remained home with her family and her Cherokee people.

I have always felt that somewhere out there a courageous woman named Wilma Mankiller cared about me and spoke for me when she had the opportunity, and so I add my voice to those who feel they have lost a true friend. I know we are many.

I ask my family and friends to make a donation in my name to One Fire Development Corporation (http://www.onefiredevelopment.org), as was Wilma's wish.

And for me, my wish is that her work will live on and her time spent here will continue to stand for positive change for our people. And I know it will.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,


Leonard Peltier

McLaren's last words: 'Free Leonard Peltier'

Malcolm McLaren's last words were a plea for American Indian Leonard Peltier to be released from jail, his son has reportedly revealed.

The former Sex Pistols manager died in Switzerland on Thursday after losing his fight with cancer.

According to The Daily Telegraph, his son with Vivienne Westwood, Joe Corré, was by his bedside with his half-brother Ben Westwood.

"His last words were 'Free Leonard Peltier'. Ben had a T-shirt with the slogan on and my father saw this and admired it. He was proud of Ben for this and he had a sense of humour to the end. He smiled," Carre said.

Supporters of Peltier, who is serving life for the murder of two FBI agents in 1975, claim that he is a political prisoner.

The music impresario's final wish was that he should be buried wearing a new suit in Highgate Cemetery in north London. "My father was a very special person - a person who changed the world," Carre said. "I am incredibly proud of him. He was an old warrior. The world would have been a very different place without him. He produced nothing short of a revolution."

“Freedom of Speech Now!” Political Prisoners, Political Repression & the Prison Industrial Complex

THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CLUB AND BLACK STUDENT UNION PRESENTS

“Freedom of Speech Now!” Political Prisoners, Political Repression and the Prison Industrial Complex

Wednesday and Thursday, April 21st and 22nd, 11am-2pm
Washington State University, Vancouver, Firstenburg Commons
FREE EVENT, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
AND FREE FOOD!

PART I- WENDNESDAY, APRIL 21ST 11am-2pm

Introduction: 11:00 – 11:10

First speaker 11:10-11:50 Darrelle Dino Butler, “Indigenous Political Prisoners: The Case of Leonard Peltier and the American Indian Movement”

Darrelle Dino Butler is a member of the Seletz Nation in Oregon, poet, activist and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). His involvement with AIM took him to many Native communities involved in the struggle against the U.S. Government's ongoing disregard for indigenous rights and sovereignty. On June 26, 1975, an FBI attack on the Oglala, South Dakota spiritual camp resulted in the deaths of two FBI agents and one indigenous man. He was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. The 1976 trial, in which he and co-defendant Bob Robideau were acquitted, drew national attention. In the late 1970's he participated in the Minnesota Citizen's Review Committee on FBI misconduct, working towards the release of Leonard Peltier, who was convicted for the deaths of the two FBI agents. Butler's 1979 request for political asylum in Canada was denied because he returned to the U.S. to testify for the defense in Peltier's trial.

Second Speaker 11:50-12:35 Jeff Luers, “The Green Scare: Earth and Animal Liberation”

Jeffrey "Free" Luers is an anarchist and environmental justice activist from Los Angeles, California. He was recently released from prison after a near 10-year sentence for setting fire to three SUV's in a car lot in Eugene, Oregon in 2000. Because his actions were politically motivated to make a statement about global warming he was targeted as an ‘eco-terrorist.’ He was tried with 13 felony counts with a cumulative sentence of over 100 years hanging over his head, but he refused a plea bargain. Even though the fires were quickly extinguished, he was found guilty of 11 felony charges and sentenced to nearly 23 years in prison. His sentence was eventually reduced after what The Independent described as an "international campaign for a more appropriate sentence for a crime in which no one was hurt." Free wrote extensively while incarcerated and his dedication to activism helps the struggle to continue.

12:35-1:00- Food Break, meet and greet

Third Speaker 1:00-1:30 Stephanie Boston, “Resisting Political Repression”

Stephanie is a radical feminist who has been involved in activist struggles for nearly 10 years. She believes in cross-pollination and building coalitions among various movements. She's a fan of using all the tools in the toolbox while holding anti-oppressive principles ethic. She will speak about how political repression appears whenever social and political movements threaten the status quo challenging the unequal distribution of power and wealth. The sooner activists learn the basics; the faster political repression can be successfully countered. She will focus on the newest case against environmental activists dubbed "the Green Scare”. She will talk about ways to learn about, mobilize against, and resist political repression.

1:10-1:20: Short Break
1:20-1:55: Engage panel and audience discussion
1:55-2:00: Wrap-up, thanks, and recruitment…

PART II- THURSDAY, APRIL 22ND 11am-2pm

First Speaker 11:00-11:30 Peter Bohmer, “I was a Victim of COINTELPRO: Contemporary Reflections on Political Repression in the U.S.”

Peter teaches political economy at the Evergreen State College has been active in diverse social movements since the late 1960’s. He believes in and works for an economic system based on human dignity for all, where poverty and exploitation are abolished and where work is meaningful and fulfilling. Peter will discuss FBI skylarkings that have personally affected him and disrupted his activism.

Second Speaker 11:30-12:15 Ashanti Alston Omowali “Revolutionizing Freedom of Speech: Political Prisoner Amnesty and Prison Abolition in the 21st Century”

Ashanti Omowali Alston is an anarchist revolutionary, speaker, and writer, and former member of the Black Panther Party. He was also a member of the Black Liberation Army, and spent more than a decade in prison after government forces captured him (and the official court system convicted him) of armed robbery. Formerly a northeast coordinator for Critical Resistance and organizer for Estacion Libre, he is currently co-chair of the National Jericho Movement (to free U.S. political prisoners), a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and on the speaker’ bureau for the Institute for Anarchist Studies.

12:15-12:30: Food Break, meet and greet

Third Speaker 12:30-1:00 Dr. Jacques Depelchin, “Silences in African History: Freedom of Speech in Haiti and Democratic Republic of the Congo”

Dr. Jacques Depelchin is a committed intellectual, academic, and activist for peace, democracy, transparency and pro-people politics in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was born in the Congo and educated at Lovanium University (Kinshasa) in the DRC, the University of London, Johns Hopkins University in Italy, and Stanford. He has taught African History and related subjects at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco State, Stanford, Syracuse, and universities in DR Congo, Mozambique, and Tanzania. He was present in the Eastern Congo during the most recent war in 1996-2002, and was a member of the non-militarist RCD-Kisangani movement led by Ernest Wamba dia Wamba which opposed continuation of the war. He participated in the negotiations leading to the Lusaka Cease-fire, those leading to Sun City-1 in 2002, and later, in portions of the negotiations leading to the Global and Inclusive Accord in Pretoria, 2003. He is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Berkeley-based Ota Benga International Alliance for Peace in the DR Congo.

Fourth Speaker 1:00-1:35 Kent Ford, “From COINTELPRO to the PATRIOT ACT: The Legacy of Political Repression and Political Prisoners in the United States”

Long time local resident, and community organizer, Kent Ford was a founding member of the Portland, Oregon chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. Forty years later his son Lumumba Ford, who graduated from Portland State University, was targeted for post-911 terrorist charges and sentenced to18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy as part of the “Portland Seven.” Kent will discuss the historical linkages between political repression in the United States from the FBI programs of the 1960s and 70s crystallizing into Homeland Security and the PATRIOT ACT in the first decade of the 21st century.

1:35-1:55: Engage panel and audience discussion
1:55-2:00: Wrap-up, thanks, and recruitment…

SPONSORS

The Jericho Movement for Political Prisoner Amnesty; ASWSUV; Education Without Borders; Students for Unity (PSU); Pan American Solidarity Organization (PSU); Student Animal Liberation Coalition (PSU); International Socialist Organization (PSU); Black Studies Department (PSU); Northwest Student Coalition; Portland Central America Solidarity Committee; Cascadia Convergence Network; Cascadia Rising Tide; Portland Animal Defense League; Students for Environmental Justice (MHCC); Black Student Union (MHCC); Black Student Union (WSUV); Social and Environmental Justice (WSUV); E’Njonis Café; Chako Kum Tux Club (MHCC); Rose City Copwatch; Fire Frashour Campaign

NWSTUDENTCOALITION.NET
social.environmental.justice@gmail.com

Stop By and Visit with Us

20th Annual

Woodlands and High Plains PowWow
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Minnesota State University Moorhead

Nemzek Fieldhouse

Political Prisoners in the US: Lynne Stewart, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, The Cuban Five

Not accepting unacceptable

The Pacifica Resistance Los Angeles Chapter is presenting “Political Prisoners in the United States: Lynne Stewart, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, The Cuban Five" on Saturday, April 10th, 2:00 – 5:00 PM.

The event will be held at Echo Park United Methodist Church, 1226 North Alvarado, Los Angeles, one block north of Sunset Blvd, easily accessible by Metro Bus Lines.

Targeting individuals for false imprisonments are one of the major signals of a police state, fascism. So is torture.

Speakers

The event speakers include:

Jerry Quickley
Ralph Schoenman
Michael Novick
Gloria la Riva
Sampson Wolfe
Muna Coobtee
John Parker
Ron Gochez & more.

Among a wealth of information and historical targets, COINTELPRO, An Untold America Story Report details five United States political prisoners, one of whom is Mumia Abu Jamal, another being Leonard Peltier whom many people around the world have said is “America’s Nelson Mandela.” Passages in the Report Overview include:

We're here to talk about the FBI and U.S. democracy… And one of the things that makes it not quite a democracy is the existence of outfits like the FBI and the CIA. Democracy is based on openness, and the existence of a secret policy, secret lists of dissident citizens, violates the spirit of democracy…

The most serious of the FBI disruption programs were those directed against "Black Nationalists." Agents were instructed to undertake actions to discredit these groups both within "the responsible Negro community" and to "Negro radicals," also "to the white community, both the responsible community and to `liberals' who have vestiges of sympathy for militant black nationalists simply because they are Negroes..." (See: Dupre, Film about award-winning journalist on death row, Abu-Jamal, May 14, 2009)

Attorney Richard Fine is one of the most noted Falsely Imprisoned Persons (FIPs) in Los Angeles. Fine is a political prisoner held in a hospital due to his challenging and correcting Los Angeles high-level corruption.

Complaints filed by Dr. Joseph Zernik provide detailed evidence of fraud by Los Angeles justice system parties in collution relative to the false imprisonment/ hospitalization of FIP Attorney Richard Fine and large-scale false imprisonments of many thousands of people in LA. Human rights defenders nationally and internationally are urged to file similar Complaints.

Why should Americans care about these cases? "The very same government tactics used to bring about Peltier's wrongful conviction are being applied today—not for the sake of "national security," as is claimed, but simply to quash dissent," according to Arthur J. Miller, a co-coordinator for Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group. (See: Dupre, TI 'death sentence': Peltier appeal denied, Examiner, Feb. 2009)

For more information about the event, phone 323-660-1553. There will also be a report on the recent Student protests, the upcoming national immigrant rights march in Washington, DC. foreclosures and evictions.

Source URL: http://www.examiner.com/x-10438-Human-Rights-Examiner~y2010m4d6-LA-takes-stand-on-Political-Prisoners-in-US-on-April-10th

Speak Up for Leonard Peltier: Dearborn/Detroit, MI Consultation Tomorrow

Consultations continue with Dearborn/Detroit, MI tomorrow, April 7. This is hosted jointly by American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and the NAACP. The ADC's announcement is below:

"On Wednesday, April 7, 2010, from 9:00AM to 2:00PM, ADC Michigan will cosponsor a community consultation at Wayne State University Law School’s Judge D. Keith Center between the federal government and Michigan area civil rights organizations to address civil rights and human rights challenges faced by residents in Detroit, Dearborn, and other communities in the region. As part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process established in 2006 by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Detroit consultation was the first review in this process.

"The process calls for the U.S. government officials to prepare a periodic report of its domestic human rights situation, including identification of challenges and proposals for solutions, by visiting 10 locations around the country to meet with leaders of civil society organizations. Please note that this event is by invitation only.

"For more information about this important event, please email: ADCMICHIGAN@adc.org."

Upcoming consultations include Chicago on April 13th, Birmingham on April 22, and a return to DC on April 29th. Please see http://www.ushrnetwork.org/campaign_upr for more details.

Attention organizations! You can endorse one or all cluster reports. For contacts, see http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddpnzvc4_1hsbn4sfk.

Chief Mankiller Has Passed

Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee tribe and one of the few women to lead an American Indian tribe, has died, the Cherokee Phoenix reports.

She had previously been reported to be ill with pancreatic cancer. During her 10 years as principal chief, the tribe tripled in size to become the second-largest in the U.S. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.

Wilma Mankiller stood up for the Cherokee Nation and all Indigenous People throughout her life. She was a strong leader and a good example to all of us.

Please join Leonard and his defense committee in prayer for Wilma's safe journey and in extending your sympathies to the Chief's family during their time of grief.

Help Us with a Diplomatic Mission for Leonard Peltier

The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee is asking your help with raising funds for airfare and lodging for a delegate traveling to the Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (19-30 April 2010, UN Headquarters, New York) on Leonard's behalf. See http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_ninth.html.

This is an opportunity not to be missed because the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous people, Professor James Anaya, will hold individual meetings with representatives of indigenous peoples and organizations, from 20-23 April 2010.

To donate securely online, visit http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/donate.htm. Or send a check or money order made payable to the LPDOC to PO Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106. Please write "UN" on the memo line.

Thank you for your generous support--this day and every day.


Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
PO Box 7488 - Fargo, ND 58106
(701) 235-2206 (Phone); (701) 235-5045 (Fax)
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info