MEDIA ROOTS — After the band Rage Against the Machine released their song “Freedom,” new generations became aware and sympathetic to the appeals for freedom of political prisoners, such as Leonard Peltier, Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM).
Rage’s “Freedom” video notes:
“On June 26th 1975, two unmarked cars drove onto Jumping Bull property. A fire fight began. Two FBI Agents and one Indian male were killed. One of the largest manhunts in the history of the FBI followed. Three AIM members were arrested. The first two were acquitted, but after illegal extradition from Canada Leonard Peltier was found guilty. All key Indian prosecution witnesses claimed they had been coerced by the FBI.
“‘State and government authorities were concerned less with Law and Order than with the obstacle to Black Hills mining leases that A.I.M. insistence on Indian sovereignty might represent.’
“Later, numerous contradictions came to light in FBI evidence. Proof of Peltier’s innocence was ignored or witheld from Appeal Courts. 6,000 pages of documents about the case remain CLASSIFIED for reasons of NATIONAL SECURITY.”
Peltier has now been imprisoned for over 34 years.
Dennis Banks, a founding member of AIM, is co-organising the Leonard Peltier Freedom Walk for Human Rights, which kicks off today at Alcatraz Island, San Francisco. Dennis Banks recently spoke with Dennis Bernstein, host of Flashpoints, on Pacifica radio about the historic action calling for freedom for Leonard Peltier and all dissident political prisoners being unjustly held. (See transcript below.)
Messina
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AIMWEST — The Leonard Peltier Walk for Human Rights is an effort to raise attention regarding political prisoner Leonard Peltier, imprisoned for over 35 years, to seek his freedom, and to encourage President Obama to assert his authority by providing an Executive Clemency. (All my relations can also call the White House comment line at 202-456-1212 and express freedom now for Leonard!)
The youth, academia, veterans for peace, prison rights networks, unions, and the inter-faith community are especially invited to come and participate in solidarity with those who seek freedom and executive clemency for Leonard Peltier, imprisoned already over 35 years! Enough is enough! FREEDOM NOW!
A Sunday morning ceremony on The Rock (Alcatraz Island) will be held to announce and initiate a spiritual walk across North America entitled “The Leonard Peltier Walk for Human Rights.”
There will be drummers and singers, fire and tobacco offerings. All our friends, supporters and allies are welcome to attend this Sunday Morning Prayer Circle. The gathering is also to offer strength to the volunteers who have committed themselves to walk across the USA for Leonard Peltier and for all political prisoners, from The Rock to Washington D.C., arriving May 18, 2012.
Read more about Leonard Peltier Freedom Walk for Human Rights.
© 2011 aimwest.info
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FLASHPOINTS
Dennis Bernstein (c. 1:35): “We wanted to bring you this exclusive interview with American Indian Movement founder Dennis Banks having to do with a walk that will begin at Alcatraz over the weekend, be kicked off across the country to save the life of Leonard Peltier…
“You’re listening to Flashpoints on Pacifica radio. We’re really delighted and honoured to be joined by Dennis Banks. He’s one of the founding members of the American Indian Movement. There’s a very important walk for life starting this weekend from Alcatraz here in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is a walk across the country by the American Indian Movement to save the life of Leonard Peltier, political prisoner in solitary confinement, brutalised for all these many years. And we’re fighting to bring him out, so that they don’t force him to die inside the prison.
“Dennis Banks, good to have you with us on Flashpoints, welcome. Tell us what is in store, what the walk is about, and why it’s important to fight for Leonard Peltier’s life.”
Dennis Banks (c. 1:55): “Well, thank you very much for inviting me on. There’s gonna be a gathering at Alcatraz this coming Sunday. There is gonna be two boats going out there—8am and 9:10 am. If anybody wants to come on out there, they’re certainly welcome to come out there.
“But it’s a humanitarian walk for Leonard Peltier who has been in prison over 34 years. When you count all the time when they were looking for him, it’s over 35 years. But he has been proven that he was not the shooter. Even the prosecution admitted that before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota. And we thought that he was gonna be home free, but there was a technicality that prevented him from walking out a free man. So, now he’s been in over 34 years. And he has four years of good time, which, when he was in for 31 years, they should have let him out. The sentencing guideline in the Federal System is: a life sentence is 17 years, 8 months, and 23 days. That’s a life sentence. And he’s done twice that amount. So, he’s done two life sentences.
“So, [the walk] is humanitarian. And it’s also to say all around that what we’ve said in the American Indian Movement, that he’s innocent. They didn’t prove he was the shooter in the original court. But the prosecuting attorney kept saying that he was the shooter. And then 16 years later, they admitted that they didn’t know who killed those FBI agents. This was a time when the turmoil was very heavy on the Pine Ridge Reservation and AIM was out there at the request of the elders. We came out there and we helped them. We assisted the elders for almost three years. And then there was a lot of shooting going on during that time. A lot of people got killed. 62 AIM members were killed during that three year period of time, including very respected elders were gunned down and shot. But this is a humanitarian walk for Leonard Peltier, who for humanitarian reasons, for health reasons, he should be out. And for even serving that lengthy time he should be out, with all the good time that he’s collected, over four years.
“Down through the years with the political system, our leaders have always been jailed. Geronimo was in jail. He spent over 40 years confined to an area, 25 years in prison and then the rest of his time was spent away from his homeland. But he was restricted. He could not go back to his home. Chief Joseph and everybody, they were tracked down by the military. And Geronimo was killed inside the Federal Prison in South Dakota, so, all of our leaders past, Tecumseh, everybody. It seems to me, when the Government is wrong, they’ll send the Military in there, you know, to quiet the Natives, so to speak. And that’s what they were trying to do, sending the FBI to quiet the Natives. And that’s what happened.”
Dennis Bernstein (c. 6:57): “We’re speaking with Dennis Banks. He is one of the founders of the American Indian Movement. We’re talking about a walk for life, a human rights walk for life, and focusing on Leonard Peltier and other issues. I can’t help but ask you to respond to what appears to be profound racism. We see they wanna let Hinckley out, the guy who shot Reagan. Squeaky Fromme; they wanna set the Charlie Manson cheerleaders free. But somehow Leonard Peltier, who was obviously set up, the incredible violations of due process is on the record. Your response to that.”
Dennis Banks (c. 7:43): “It is absolutely one of the worst cases of racism that we saw against the American Indian Movement. They targeted somebody in AIM to be a scapegoat. They targeted Peltier who, at that moment, was like a soldier. He was one of our top organisers. He was working to help set up crops in Oglala gardens, and stuff like that. You know? It was that kind of a vendetta against the American Indian Movement from the FBI ‘cos we beat ‘em in court. We beat ‘em on the battlefield at Wounded Knee. We had them scared; they were running. And it was, just, the worst case of a racist judicial attack against us. And they used the courts; they used their courts to keep us confined and restricted. It was a bad use of the Government’s power, the long arm of the law. And that’s what they did. So, here we are, some 35 years later, walking down. You know, we did The Longest Walk in 1978 and Brenner’s name was on the list of issues. And here we are, you know, some 33 years later saying the same thing, saying the same thing.”
Dennis Bernstein (c. 9:19): “Dennis Banks, we know that you’re busy and you’ve got much to do. But I do wanna come back and underline the importance and the urgency here. We, of course, wanna remind people that the kind of support he’s had from around the world, includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, 50 Congressional Representatives. You name it; they have called for his freedom.
“And I want you to underline the urgency. His health is deteriorating. He’s in trouble. This is urgent. This has to be now.”
Dennis Banks (c. 9:58): “He’s going blind. Of course, he doesn’t have a white cane [yet]. But his eyesight, you know, he’s an artist, he paints and his eyesight is going. [Peltier’s] been denied a lot of medical treatment in these facilities that he’s had, you know, proper medical facilities of medical treatment, been denied that. He is a diabetic. Just, you know, I would hate, really hate to see that Peltier would die in prison. That would be, really, a dark chapter of American justice.”
Dennis Bernstein (c. 10:37): “Alright. Again, Dennis Banks, I wanna let people know that this is happening on Sunday [12/18/11]. People can get to the [S.F.] docks and catch one of those horn-blower boats from downtown San Francisco at 8am or 9am. Get there early. Be a part of this significant kick-off of this walk to save the life of Leonard Peltier and to call attention to other major and massive human rights violations that are still being levied against the Native American community. And we wanna thank you very much for being with us and alerting us to this.”
Dennis Banks (c. 11:13): “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Dennis Bernstein (c. 11:15): “Alright. You take care now bye-bye.”
Dennis Banks (c. 1:17): “Okay. Bye-bye.”
Transcript by Felipe Messina
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Photo by flickr user Peta-de-Aztlan
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