Sun Dance, an Opera on Leonard Peltier

Dear supporters of Leonard Peltier,

We are writing to let you know about a new vehicle for awareness and activism regarding Leonard Peltier’s continued imprisonment. Sun Dance, an opera composed by Matthew J. Walton, with a libretto by Leonard Walton, sets Leonard’s story within the historical context of oppression and abuse of Native Americans by the US government (www.sundanceopera.com). The opera challenges audiences to engage with contemporary themes of social justice, cultural and national identity, and collective responsibility. It begins with Leonard’s description of life in prison, then flashes back through several historical scenes, including the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 and the Native American occupation of Alcatraz in the 1970s. The second act brings the story into the present, through the interactions of several women at a rally to support Leonard. They struggle with issues of anger and forgiveness as they flash back to segments of Leonard’s trial, and reflect on his transformation during his years in prison.

The opera was written with Leonard’s approval and in consultation with many of the individuals and primary sources connected to his case. You can find out more about Sun Dance at www.sundanceopera.com, which contains audio excerpts, score excerpts, a synopsis and full libretto, educational materials, performance history, a press kit, and background on the subject matter, and will soon include video excerpts from previous performances.

Some of you may remember that Sun Dance was premiered in 2005 by the Syracuse Society for New Music. At that time there was also a live webcast of one of the performances that was broadcast to a global audience. Since then, the composer and librettist have significantly revised the piece, based on feedback from audiences, performers, Native American organizations and individuals, and people connected with the incidents described in the opera. We feel that the revisions have made the opera a much stronger work musically and dramatically, and that the piece is now more effective in sharing Leonard’s story with a wider and more diverse audience.

We hope that you will go to our website, http://www.sundanceopera.com/, to learn more about the opera. Please feel free to link to our page on your own site, and to spread the news to Leonard’s supporters through your preferred social networking method. If your area has an opera company or a university with a music program, please consider contacting them and suggesting that they program Sun Dance. We would like to emphasize that the composer and librettist of this opera do not profit from any performances of it, and have created it as a vehicle for continuing to spread awareness of Leonard’s imprisonment, the situation of political prisoners, and the continued oppression of Native communities in the US. We welcome comments, questions, and suggestions through our website.

Regards,

Matt Walton and Lenny Walton
http://www.sundanceopera.com/

Peltier Update: Medical Treatment

The biopsy that was ordered by a physician last November was finally performed yesterday, 23 February. Leonard will receive the results in roughly 7 to 10 days. The feedback from the physician wasn't positive, however. Everyone must continue to pressure the BOP for Leonard's transfer so that he can receive timely, quality care.

Please print this letter (PDF format). Sign the letter; write your name and mailing address; and mail or fax your letter today.

Mail to: Federal Bureau of Prisons
Address: 320 1st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20534
Fax: (202) 514-6620

Sample Text

Often a handwritten heartfelt letter is quite effective. Remember to always employ a respectful tone and keep your comments brief and to the point. If you wish, you may adapt the following text.

Harley G. Lappin, Director
U.S. Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534

Dear Mr. Lappin:

It has come to my attention that Leonard Peltier #89637-132, an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, is in dire need of medical attention.

I believe that Mr. Peltier's medical needs are urgent. He needs to be seen by proper medical staff. Therefore, I respectfully request that Leonard Peltier be transferred to FCI-Oxford in Wisconsin or FMC-Rochester in Minnesota. Either of these facilities can adequately accommodate Mr. Peltier's medical needs.

Thank you in advance for transferring Leonard Peltier and immediately addressing his medical needs!

Sincerely,



Signature
(Print Your Name)
(Print Your Street Address)
(Print Your City/State/Zip Code)

Thank you for all you do on Leonard's behalf.

Act on behalf of Leonard Peltier and all imprisoned COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era activists

ACT NOW! DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! ACT NOW! DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! ACT NOW!

At yesterday's White House meeting on the US's response to the UN UPR Working Group Recommendations, we were told that all comments must be submitted by close of business today. On behalf of all imprisoned COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era activists, please

TELL White House Rep Scott Busby (ScottW.Busby@nsc.eop.gov), Legal Adviser Harold Koh (KohHH@state.gov), State Dept Rep David Sullivan (SullivanDB@state.gov), Asst. Atty General Samuel Bagenstos (samuel.bagenstos@usdoj.gov), and U.S. Atty General (AskDOJ@usdoj.gov)

1. ADOPT UPR Working Group Recommendation Numbers 92-153 and 92-154, and

2. Implement UPR Working Group Recommendation Numbers 92-153 and 92-154 by :

a. President Obama taking concrete steps and using his presidential clemency powers to commute the sentences to time served and release all COINTELRO/Civil Rights Era political activists currently held as prisoners in federal custody;

b. That he direct the Obama-Holder Department of Justice to review the convictions of all COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era activists in federal or state custody to identify and address civil and human rights violations; and

c. That President Obama use his executive authority to create a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for release and compensation of all COINTELPRO/Civil Rights ERA political activists currently held in federal and state facilities.

Thursday, February 17: COINTELPRO 101 Screening in Boulder, CO

Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center

The Freedom Archives
& the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

Students for Peace & Justice
Popcorner Film Series

Present

Thurs. Feb. 17th,
8-10pm
Naropa University Main Campus
Goldfarb Student Center
(2130 Arapahoe Ave.)
Boulder, Colorado

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere."
Martin Luther King Jr.

During the Civil Rights era of the 50s, 60s and 70s, the F.B.I, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, waged a covert war against minority peoples and progressive movements referred to as, COINTELPRO.

COINTELPRO represents the state’s strategy to prevent movements and communities from overturning white supremacy and creating racial justice. COINTELPRO is both a formal program of the FBI and a term frequently used to describe a conspiracy among government agencies—local, state, and federal—to destroy movements for self-determination and liberation for Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous struggles, as well as mount an institutionalized attack against allies of these movements and other progressive organizations.

COINTELPRO 101 is an educational film that will open the door to understanding this history. This documentary will introduce viewers new to this history to the basics and direct them to other resources where they can learn more. The intended audiences are the generations that did not experience the social justice movements of the sixties and seventies.

Interviews in the video include:

Muhammad Ahmad (Max Stanford)—Founder of Revolutionary Action Movement and professor at Temple University.
Bob Boyle—Attorney representing many activists and political prisoners targeted by COINTELPRO.
Kathleen Cleaver—former leader of the Black Panther Party, now Professor of Law at Emory and Yale Universities and an expert on COINTELPRO.
Ward Churchill—just-removed Professor at the University of Colorado who has written extensively about COINTELPRO.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz—Long-time Native American activist and educator.
Priscilla Falcon—Long-time Mexicana activist and professor whose husband was assassinated for his leadership in the Chicano struggle.
Geronimo Ji-Jaga Pratt—former leader of the Black Panther Party who was falsely imprisoned for 27 years in a COINTELPRO case.
Jose Lopez—Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago and long-time advocate of Puerto Rican independence.
Francisco 'Kiko' Martinez—long-time Chicano/Mexicano activist and attorney.
Lucy Rodriguez—Puerto Rican Independentista and former Political Prisoner.
Ricardo Romero—long-time Chicano/Mexicano activist and Grand Jury resister
Akinyele Umoja—African American History scholar at Georgia State University.
Laura Whitehorn—radical activist and former political prisoner who was targeted by the federal government.

*Film will be followed by a discussion lead by participants in the film, Ricardo Romero (Chicano/Mexicano Activist) and Ward Churchill (Native American Author & Professor).

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." - Declaration of Independence

"America, when will you live up to your own principles?" - Leonard Peltier

For more info: www.freedomarchives.org or www.whoisleonardpeltier.info

Contact: silentbear55@yahoo.com or sfpjpopcorner@gmail.com

Medical Alert: A Call to Action for Leonard Peltier

At this time, Mr. Peltier's most pressing need is proper medical care. His only hope of being seen by qualified physicians and receiving care that complies with standard medical protocols is to be immediately transferred to another facility. (See the background information here.)

You can help. Please print this letter (PDF format). Sign the letter; write your name and mailing address; and mail or fax your letter today.

Mail to: Federal Bureau of Prisons
Address: 320 1st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20534
Fax: (202) 514-6620

Sample Text

Often a handwritten heartfelt letter is quite effective. Remember to always employ a respectful tone and keep your comments brief and to the point. If you wish, you may adapt the following text.

Harley G. Lappin, Director
U.S. Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534

Dear Mr. Lappin:

It has come to my attention that Leonard Peltier #89637-132, an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, is in dire need of medical attention.

I believe that Mr. Peltier's medical needs are urgent. He needs to be seen by proper medical staff. Therefore, I respectfully request that Leonard Peltier be transferred to FCI-Oxford in Wisconsin or FMC-Rochester in Minnesota. Either of these facilities can adequately accommodate Mr. Peltier's medical needs.

Thank you in advance for transferring Leonard Peltier and immediately addressing his medical needs!

Sincerely,



Signature
(Print Your Name)
(Print Your Street Address)
(Print Your City/State/Zip Code)

Thank you for all you do on Leonard's behalf.