Will Leonard Peltier be paroled?

musicismylife78musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
edited September 2009 in A Moving Train
The cynic in me is screaming, no way in hell will the government allow him to go free, because they would then have to deal with the fallout: admitting their own role in the shootings that killed two of their own FBI men, and the sickening 20 plus years of lies, deceit, and treacherous behavior that has allowed leonard to languish in prison all these years with any evidence. I stayed at the home of a woman, an activist, who said, she had talked to FBI agents about this case, and they had admitted, "yeah we framed him, he is innocent". When the government is that openly disturbing I find it hard to believe they would allow Leonard to get out, finally.

Anyways, the parole hearing is supposed to have happened, or will happen, and they will announce the outcome, this month, late in the month.

In 2001, I attended a birthday celebration for Leonard, and have given money to his defense fun. I have read his book. And I have seen Robert Redfords documentary. When I was called for jury duty, even though they called me and said "we dont need you anymore" I had a whole speech planned, as to why I couldnt serve on any jury, ever. My belief that the justice system was and is irredeamibly corrupt and a mockery, is outlined I think by the fact our society and our justice system allows people like Peltier, Mumia and the WM3 to waste away in jail.

Will this decades long ordeal finally be remedied? Or will this be the final nail in the coffin, as I assume, this may be the final push for his release?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    nothing wrong with hope.


    so many people fighting for his release, i can't imagine they keep him there. he should be free.
  • Commy wrote:
    nothing wrong with hope.


    so many people fighting for his release, i can't imagine they keep him there. he should be free.


    I agree, he has a TON of support, famous and non famous people, who think he is innocent. Even Pamela Anderson, for goddsake, thinks he is innocent. Kiley Minogue as well. I think that goes to show, its not just Rage Against the Machine, and the radicals who support him, but its more mainstream people as well.

    The point is though, if he is to be paroled in a few days, that would require the government to admit something so heinous and gross its almost unimaginable. They locked up an innocent man for 20 plus years.

    Why would the government admit that?
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    Commy wrote:
    nothing wrong with hope.


    so many people fighting for his release, i can't imagine they keep him there. he should be free.


    I agree, he has a TON of support, famous and non famous people, who think he is innocent. Even Pamela Anderson, for goddsake, thinks he is innocent. Kiley Minogue as well. I think that goes to show, its not just Rage Against the Machine, and the radicals who support him, but its more mainstream people as well.

    The point is though, if he is to be paroled in a few days, that would require the government to admit something so heinous and gross its almost unimaginable. They locked up an innocent man for 20 plus years.

    Why would the government admit that?

    true. and you have all the people involved over the years that have fought to keep him in prison...they aren't gonna want to see him released, ever. i see your point.


    its shitty too, this guy should be free.
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    I hope so. I've not checked the Peltier defense committee website for any updates in a while. Maybe I'll go take a look.
  • fifefife Posts: 3,327
    Commy wrote:
    nothing wrong with hope.


    so many people fighting for his release, i can't imagine they keep him there. he should be free.


    I agree, he has a TON of support, famous and non famous people, who think he is innocent. Even Pamela Anderson, for goddsake, thinks he is innocent. Kiley Minogue as well. I think that goes to show, its not just Rage Against the Machine, and the radicals who support him, but its more mainstream people as well.

    The point is though, if he is to be paroled in a few days, that would require the government to admit something so heinous and gross its almost unimaginable. They locked up an innocent man for 20 plus years.

    Why would the government admit that?

    i hope that he is released but i have to say i don't understand why you think the government would have to admit they did something wrong. peopel get paroled all teh time, it doesn't mean that the person is innocent in their eyes.
  • Commy wrote:
    nothing wrong with hope.


    so many people fighting for his release, i can't imagine they keep him there. he should be free.


    I agree, he has a TON of support, famous and non famous people, who think he is innocent. Even Pamela Anderson, for goddsake, thinks he is innocent. Kiley Minogue as well. I think that goes to show, its not just Rage Against the Machine, and the radicals who support him, but its more mainstream people as well.

    The point is though, if he is to be paroled in a few days, that would require the government to admit something so heinous and gross its almost unimaginable. They locked up an innocent man for 20 plus years.

    Why would the government admit that?


    I hardly think Pam Anderson and Kylie Minogue are "mainstream". ;)

    So, he admitted to shooting at the FBI agents but says he didn't kill them. Did he approach them as they lay by their cars?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Commy wrote:
    nothing wrong with hope.


    so many people fighting for his release, i can't imagine they keep him there. he should be free.


    I agree, he has a TON of support, famous and non famous people, who think he is innocent. Even Pamela Anderson, for goddsake, thinks he is innocent. Kiley Minogue as well. I think that goes to show, its not just Rage Against the Machine, and the radicals who support him, but its more mainstream people as well.

    The point is though, if he is to be paroled in a few days, that would require the government to admit something so heinous and gross its almost unimaginable. They locked up an innocent man for 20 plus years.

    Why would the government admit that?


    I hardly think Pam Anderson and Kylie Minogue are "mainstream". ;)

    So, he admitted to shooting at the FBI agents but says he didn't kill them. Did he approach them as they lay by their cars?

    No he didn't approach them as they lay by their cars. And the two F.B.I agents were shot at point blank range. The F.B.I coerced witnesses, used false testimony, tampered with the ballistic evidence, e.t.c.

    If you're really interested in finding out what happened then you should read Peter Matthiessen's book 'In the Spirit of Crazy Horse'. It's one of the best books I've ever read. In my top 5.

    http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Crazy-Hors ... 100&sr=8-4

    You may also want to check out the documentary 'Incident at Oglala': http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... ala&hl=en#
  • Byrnzie wrote:
    No he didn't approach them as they lay by their cars. And the two F.B.I agents were shot at point blank range. The F.B.I coerced witnesses, used false testimony, tampered with the ballistic evidence, e.t.c.

    If you're really interested in finding out what happened then you should read Peter Matthiessen's book 'In the Spirit of Crazy Horse'. It's one of the best books I've ever read. In my top 5.

    http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Crazy-Hors ... 100&sr=8-4

    You may also want to check out the documentary 'Incident at Oglala': http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... ala&hl=en#


    Yeah, I didn't know anything about this, but did a little internet searching and reading after this thread. Seems very confusing indeed.

    Some where I read that he searched the FBI agents but then wasn't the 1 that shot them. I may give that book a read if I get a chance.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Byrnzie wrote:
    No he didn't approach them as they lay by their cars. And the two F.B.I agents were shot at point blank range. The F.B.I coerced witnesses, used false testimony, tampered with the ballistic evidence, e.t.c.

    If you're really interested in finding out what happened then you should read Peter Matthiessen's book 'In the Spirit of Crazy Horse'. It's one of the best books I've ever read. In my top 5.

    http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Crazy-Hors ... 100&sr=8-4

    You may also want to check out the documentary 'Incident at Oglala': http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... ala&hl=en#


    Yeah, I didn't know anything about this, but did a little internet searching and reading after this thread. Seems very confusing indeed.

    Some where I read that he searched the FBI agents but then wasn't the 1 that shot them. I may give that book a read if I get a chance.

    I've not read anywhere that he went down and searched the agents after they'd been shot. From what I gather he was up on the hill at the time with Dino Butler and a few others - not for from where Joe Stuntz was shot and killed by one of the agents.
    You should read the book. It's brilliant. The story it tells is bigger than this one incident, much bigger.
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    http://www.counterpunch.org/peltier01092007.html

    January 9, 2007
    Thirty Years of FBI Harassment and Misconduct
    When the Truth Doesn't Matter


    By LEONARD PELTIER

    "Much of the government's behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and in its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed."

    U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals


    'For over 30 years I have sought justice from the United States Courts which have failed to provide me with any relief despite acknowledging numerous acts of Government misconduct. For example, after my trial, my lawyers issued Freedom of Information Act Requests ("FOIA") and discovered that the Government fabricated the ballistics evidence which it used at trial to argue that I shot the agents in cold blood. Once we revealed this egregious misconduct, the Government has had to admit on several occasions in open Court and before the Parole Commission that it could not prove I shot the agents and that it could not prove who shot the agents.

    Despite the Government misconduct recognized by the Courts, I remain in prison. When we exposed the Government misconduct, the Government stopped arguing that I "shot the agents," and began arguing that my conviction should be upheld on aiding and abetting grounds, even though the only two people I could have aided and abetted, Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted on self-defense grounds. In the Robideau and Butler trials, the Court allowed them to present evidence to show that they where shooting in self defense at unknown assailants who were shooting at houses occupied by women and children. In contrast, my case was moved to another Judge, Judge Benson, who prevented me from introducing evidence of self-defense and evidence of the war-like climate that existed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation because of marauding groups of vigilantes hired by a corrupt tribal government, supported by the United States government.

    Just as significant, no Court has ever explained how my conviction could be upheld on aiding and abetting grounds since I could not aid and abet myself, and I could not aid and abet my co-defendants since they were acquitted. So, just who did I aid and abet to warrant two consecutive life sentences? The Courts and the Government cannot answer that question. Yet, I remain in prison.

    My case demonstrates the illegal means which our Government will utilize to ensure that I, a native American, am punished for the death of two FBI agents, without regard to whether I did it, which I did not, and without regard to the deprivation of my rights. All the Government cared about was that someone was punished for an incident provoked by the FBI, the corrupt tribal government, and its private police, known as the GOON squad. And yet, I remain in prison.

    The United States Government keeps me imprisoned to justify the continuing abuses against, not only Native American people, but anyone who seeks to fight criminal abuses such as those committed and/or aided by the FBI on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation between 1973-1976. This Country has waged, and continues to wage, war not just against native Americans but against any form of domestic political dissent. Secret domestic intelligence programs, such as the well documented Cointelpro program and the Patriot Act, have eroded and destroyed the constitutional rights and liberties of all peoples of this Nation. But, most people would rather ignore injustice, than take a stand against injustice and face the wrath of our Government. What I was not allowed to introduce into evidence was the indisputable evidence that the United States Government and a corrupt tribal government committed war crimes against the Oglala people during the so-called "Reign of Terror," from 1973-1976. Yet, these crimes have never been investigated, and, if anything, they have been ignored and certain propagandists have revised history to say they never occurred, similar to those who espouse that the genocide of Native American people never occurred in the Americas. The one exception is the murder of Anna Mae Aquash which the United States Government began pursuing earnestly nearly 30 years after her death, in order to smear me to harm my chances at parole through the use of hearsay testimony and unsubstantiated innuendo. I unequivocally deny that I had anything to do with the murder of Anna Mae, and I condemn those who murdered her and those who seek to smear me and make me a patsy for the crime they committed.

    The indisputable Government misconduct which led to my wrongful conviction represents a threat to the liberties of each and every one of us. Perhaps this is what ultimately struck the conscience of Judge Heaney (a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit who despite the glaring evidence of Government misconduct, wrote a strained and legally embarrassing decision to deny my first habeas petition), and compelled him to write a letter supporting my request for presidential clemency.

    As recently as the fall of 2003, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit stated:

    Much of the government's behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and in its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed.

    As my lawyers wrote in a recent brief, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has repeatedly recognized specific instances of FBI misconduct in my case: The Eighth Circuit found that the FBI withheld critical ballistics evidence which raised questions "regarding the truth and accuracy of [FBI agent Evan] Hodge's testimony." The Eighth Circuit acknowledged that the FBI withheld critical evidence which was "newly discovered evidence indicating [that the government's ballistics expert] may not have been telling the truth," and that the evidence withheld by the FBI created "inconsistencies casting strong doubts upon the government's case."

    The Eighth Circuit also addressed the government's coercing of witnesses and extracting perjurious affidavits including the three fabricated affidavits of Myrtle Poor Bear which were used to extradite me from Canada. The FBI knew that Ms. Poor Bear was mentally incompetent. Yet, they had her sign three fabricated affidavits which falsely stated that she was my girlfriend and that she saw me kill Agents Coler and Williams. Poor Bear never knew me, and she was never at the Jumping Bull Compound on June 26, 1975, or any other date that I am aware of. The Eighth Circuit described the Myrtle Poor Bear episode as follows:

    In February and March, 1976, Myrtle Poor Bear signed three affidavits which related her eyewitness account of the murders of the two agents on June 26, 1975. Two of these affidavits were considered by Canadian officials in the extradition proceedings. In testimony given outside of the presence of the jury at the trial, Poor Bear disclaimed virtually every allegation contained in the affidavits. She testified that she had been forced to sign the affidavits, which were prepared by FBI agents Price and Wood, under threats of physical harm.

    The Eighth Circuit court recognized that "[t]he Poor Bear....testimony was certainly consistent with [my] theory [that the FBI framed me by manufacturing evidence and inducing witnesses to testify in accordance with its theory of the murders.]" Even in the face of this fraud, one of the prosecutors, Lynn Crooks, belligerently stated on television in 1990 that, even if he knew the affidavits were false, he still would not have hesitated to provide them to the Canadian prosecutor.

    THE FBI'S ILLEGALL TACTICS IN ITS WAR ON THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT AND ME

    I was a member of the American Indian Movement who, like many others, was subjected to a number of Counterintelligence (COINTELPRO) type activities by the FBI. "COINTELPRO" is the FBI acronym for a series of covert action programs directed against political domestic groups. This program was investigated and condemned by a Congressional hearing in the 1970s. With this unauthorized program, the FBI engaged in covert actions designed to 'disrupt' and 'neutralize' target groups and individuals," engaged in political dissent. One of the COINTELPRO type tactics used by the FBI and, in particular against AIM, was the infiltration of the legal defense by paid informants, violating attorney-client privilege. We have recently discovered evidence that the FBI did this in my case.


    RECENTLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE

    In the face of Court expressions acknowledging and condemning the Government misconduct, the Courts continue to allow the FBI to engage in wrongful behavior by allowing them to withhold more than 140,000 documents which are located in FBI Field Offices throughout the country. Despite the passage of over 30 years, the Courts have justified the FBI's behavior by ruling that the Informant Files in my case must be protected because the release of such documents could impact the war on "international terrorism." Such a ludicrous and unfathomable reason can only undermine any remaining confidence we could possibly have that our system is based on justice and fairness.

    With respect to AIM, and me in particular, we now know that the FBI used confidential informant sources to compromise attorney/client communications they illegally used to develop strategies for conviction. We recently discovered FOIA documents establishing that the FBI utilized Douglas Durham, a paid FBI confidential source who infiltrated the highest levels of AIM and was exposed on March 7, 1975, in my extradition proceedings from Canada. As one Court recognized, "Mr. Douglass Durham, infiltrated the American Indian Movement under instructions of the FBI, won the confidence of Dennis Banks and other leaders of the movement, occupied a series of high level positions in the organization."

    These FOIA documents show that the FBI utilized Durham not only to provide information to William Halprin, the Chief Prosecutor from Canada, against me in connection with the extradition proceedings, but also as an "expert adviser on AIM." Halprin requested Durham's involvement "to enable him to utilize the source [Durham] to refute statements made by Peltier's defense." To purportedly avoid legal liability, Durham was told by the FBI not to execute any affidavits or to travel to Canada. "Durham has been instructed to provide information requested by Crown Attorney [and] .. If recontacted by Halprin, he would cooperate fully and would keep Omaha [FBI] advised of developments."

    As my attorneys recently wrote, the Courts have indicated that this type of conduct crosses the line:

    The informant, Douglass Durham, had worked in various undercover capacities prior to the Wounded Knee incident. His relationship with the FBI began in March 1973 when he supplied the FBI office in Des Moines, Iowa, with copies of photographs he had taken in a one-day visit to Wounded Knee. He later served in various leadership positions within AIM, including national security director and national administrator. He became a close companion of AIM leader Dennis Banks during the period including the Banks-Means trial in St. Paul. Throughout this period of intimate affiliation with AIM and its leaders, he was supplying information to the FBI.

    In analyzing this issue, the Eighth Circuit described the troubling conduct by the FBI:

    Were we concerned on this appeal with the question of whether the convictions of Dennis Banks and Russell Means, tried in St. Paul, could be upheld, we would have another case. There is evidence in the record and FBI files to indicate that Durham was privy to numerous conversations between Banks and his lawyers, that he was present in St. Paul during the course of the trial, and that he was in constant communication not only with Banks and the other defendants during the trial, but with the FBI. As the record here is devoid of that type of close proximity to the defense of these appellants and as no prejudice has been shown, we refuse to set aside the convictions of the appellants because of the activities of the informants.

    The FBI permitted informants to attend both my trial and that of my co-defendants. In an FBI internal memo, the FBI discussed the circumstances under which informant sources could be approved to go to our trials:

    "If approved by FBIHQ, sources should be specifically instructed to refrain from being parties to Defense Litigation strategies. Furthermore, they should be instructed that in the event they are unexpectedly placed in the position of being parties to such discussions, they should, where their informant status will not be compromised, leave such discussions immediately."

    Durham himself acknowledged that this caution was little more than a wink and a smile. In the Wounded Knee Trials, Douglas Durham was similarly advised by the FBI not to engage in any activity that would violate confidences of the defense, nor to engage in any activities or relate to the FBI any information that had to do with defense tactics, or any legal aspect of the operations of AIM or the defense at that point. In spite of the advice he allegedly received from the FBI, Mr. Durham testified in the United States Senate about the 1974 trial of AIM leader Dennis Banks: "If Dennis and I were sitting in a room and an attorney would walk in and start talking, I couldn't jump up and say, 'I can't be here, the FBI won't allow it.'"

    In a Teletype dated July 7, 1975 from the Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of the FBI to the FBI Director and Mr. Richard Held, Special Agent in Charge, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, The FBI indicated that a confidential source, much like Durham was allegedly advised by the FBI not to engage in any activity that would violate any confidences of my defense. The FBI however refuses to produce the name(s) of their informants and has been given unfettered discretion by the courts to keep this information from my legal team.

    Despite our discovering this information, the Courts have let the Government be the arbiter of what documents to produce and what they can withhold. As such, the FBI has unfettered discretion to withhold documents from which it can be determined whether it engaged in misconduct, because it will not acknowledge it. As it is, the FBI deliberately failed to produce any documents from the time period of my trial in the exemplar of documents which it recently produced to the Court to allow it to determine whether the informant documents should be produced to me in an unredacted form. It is clear that it did so to prevent me from finding information they have hid that could affect my due process rights.

    Indeed, a document recently produced by the FBI and recently introduced by my lawyers to a Magistrate Judge established that the FBI intentionally took actions to try to avoid producing documents in discovery in my case. But again, this seems to have had no impact on the Court. The United States Federal Courts have recognized overwhelming evidence of FBI misconduct in my case which has already been revealed, yet it has continued to allow the FBI to use exemptions under FOIA to shield its illegal tactics in this case, depriving me of my rights to a fair trail. I urge all of you who believe in justice to join my fight and cry out for the production of all documents related to my case. Why is the FBI still withholding documents? Why won't they produce all documents to me? To me the answer is obvious. I believe the answer is obvious to you also.

    Leonard Peltier
    # 89637-132
    U.S.P. Lewisburg,
    P.O. Box 1000,
    Lewisburg, PA USA 17837

    Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Website
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    At long last, there is hope.  I really do hope this happens.  His release would be the (long over-due) just thing to do!
    Leonard Peltier was convicted of murdering two FBI agents and has been held in maximum security prisons for 46 of the past 47 years

    FBI’s opposition to releasing Leonard Peltier driven by vendetta, says ex-agent

    Exclusive: retired FBI agent Coleen Rowley calls for clemency for Indigenous activist who has been in prison for nearly 50 years


    The FBI’s repeated opposition to the release of Leonard Peltier is driven by vindictiveness and misplaced loyalties, according to a former senior agent close to the case who is the first agency insider to call for clemency for the Indigenous rights activist who has been held in US maximum security prisons for almost five decades.


    ...more at link.





    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    It's been about 15 years.  This may be his last chance. 


    A parole hearing was held Monday for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has spent most of his life in prison since his conviction in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents in South Dakota.

    At 79, Peltier’s health is failing, and if this parole request is denied, it might be a decade or more before it is considered again, said his attorney Kevin Sharp, a former federal judge. Sharp and other supporters have long argued that Peltier was wrongly convicted and say now that this effort may be his last chance at freedom.

    It’s been about 15 years since Peltier’s last parole hearing. A decision on Monday’s hearing is expected within 21 days.

    “This whole entire hearing is a battle for his life,” said Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of the NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy group. “It’s time for him to come home.”

    The FBI and its current and former agents dispute the claims of innocence. The fight for Peltier’s freedom, which is embroiled in the Indigenous rights movements, remains so robust nearly half a century later that “Free Peltier” T-shirts and caps are still hawked online.

    “It may be kind of cultish to take his side as some kind of a hero. But he’s certainly not that; he’s a cold blooded murderer,” said Mike Clark, president of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, which wrote a letter arguing that Peltier should remain incarcerated.

    Here are some things to know about the case.

    What happened in the ‘70s?

    An enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe, Peltier was active in the American Indian Movement, which began in the 1960s as a local organization in Minneapolis that grappled with issues of police brutality and discrimination against Native Americans. It quickly became a national force.

    AIM grabbed headlines in 1973 when it took over the village of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation, leading to a 71-day standoff with federal agents. Tensions between AIM and the government remained high for years.

    The FBI considered AIM an extremist organization and planted spies and snitches in the group. Sharp blamed the government for creating what he described as a “powder keg” that exploded on June 26, 1975.

    That’s the day agents came to Pine Ridge to serve arrest warrants amid ongoing battles over Native treaty rights and self-determination.

    After being injured in a shootout, agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were shot in the head at close range, according to a letter from FBI Director Christopher Wray. Also killed in the shootout was AIM member Joseph Stuntz. The Justice Department concluded that a law enforcement sniper killed Stuntz.

    Two other AIM members, Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted of killing Coler and Williams.

    After fleeing to Canada and being extradited to the United States, Peltier was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced in 1977 to life in prison, despite defense claims that evidence against him had been falsified.

    “You’ve got a conviction that was riddled with misconduct by the prosecutors, the U.S. Attorney’s office, by the FBI who investigated this case and, frankly the jury,” Sharp said. “If they tried this today, he does not get convicted.”

    How has the FBI responded?

    Wray said in a statement that the agency was resolute in its opposition to Peltier’s latest application for parole.

    “We must never forget or put aside that Peltier intentionally murdered these two young men and has never expressed remorse for his ruthless actions,” he wrote, adding that the case has been repeatedly upheld on appeal.

    The FBI Agents Association, a professional group that represents mostly active agents, sent a letter to the parole commission opposing parole. The group said any early release of Peltier would be a “cruel act of betrayal.”

    What is the legacy of the American Indian Movement?

    Tilsen, a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, credits AIM and others for most of the rights Native Americans have today, including religious freedom, the ability to operate casinos and tribal colleges, and enter into contracts with the federal government to oversee schools and other services.

    “Leonard has been a part of creating that, but he hasn’t been available to be a beneficiary because he has been incarcerated for almost 50 years,” Tilsen said. “So he hasn’t been able to enjoy the result of those wins and see how they have changed and transformed Indian country.”

    What’s next?

    Monday’s hearing was held at a high-security lockup in Florida that is part of the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman. The hearing was not open to the public and details about what happened were not immediately available.

    Sharp, Peltier’s attorney, said beforehand that witnesses for and against parole were expected to testify. Family members of the two FBI agents who were killed will be there. For decades, the agents’ loved ones have opposed clemency for Peltier.

    In a 2022 letter to Wray, Coler’s son Paul Coler, who was less than 2 years old when his father died, said he was “left to witness the continuous struggle and suffering my Mother had to endure after losing her husband. She was alone, dealing with the biggest tragedy of her life, all while trying to navigate her two young sons through life.”

    The decision on whether to grant parole is required within 21 days, Sharp said. If parole is granted, there’s a process for release which shouldn’t take long. If denied, Peltier can look at his options for filing an appeal to a federal district court, Sharp said.

    Parole was rejected at Peltier’s last hearing in 2009, and then-President Barack Obama denied a clemency request in 2017. Another clemency request is pending before President Joe Biden.




    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Posts: 36,946
    never heard of this. I'll have to read up on it. 
    new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

    www.headstonesband.com




  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 40,350
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.

    Have you seen this documentary:
    Incident at Oglala 1992 - IMDb

    Or read this book?
    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse  The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBIs  War on the American Indian Movement Peter Matthiessen 9780002712088  Amazoncom Books


    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    never heard of this. I'll have to read up on it. 

    See my post above.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 40,350
    brianlux said:
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.

    Have you seen this documentary:
    Incident at Oglala 1992 - IMDb

    Or read this book?
    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse  The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBIs  War on the American Indian Movement Peter Matthiessen 9780002712088  Amazoncom Books


    The pro peltier crowd will definitely make him look like hes innocent.

    2 agents were shot in the head.  Kind of hard for me to look past that.  The fact that no new evidence came forward to help prove him innocent is telling too.

    Sorry Brian.
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    brianlux said:
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.

    Have you seen this documentary:
    Incident at Oglala 1992 - IMDb

    Or read this book?
    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse  The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBIs  War on the American Indian Movement Peter Matthiessen 9780002712088  Amazoncom Books


    The pro peltier crowd will definitely make him look like hes innocent.

    2 agents were shot in the head.  Kind of hard for me to look past that.  The fact that no new evidence came forward to help prove him innocent is telling too.

    Sorry Brian.

    I've never been convinced those shots were fired by Peltier.  I've also believed those agents should not have been there in the first place.

    But hey, look, your a good dude and this is just one of those times we have differing opinions.  Not a problem.  To somewhat paraphrase an Edward Abbey quote:

    "I would never betray a friend to serve a cause.  Never reject a friend to help an institution.  Great nations may fall in ruin before I would discard a friend over something that wasn't personal."
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 40,350
    brianlux said:
    brianlux said:
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.

    Have you seen this documentary:
    Incident at Oglala 1992 - IMDb

    Or read this book?
    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse  The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBIs  War on the American Indian Movement Peter Matthiessen 9780002712088  Amazoncom Books


    The pro peltier crowd will definitely make him look like hes innocent.

    2 agents were shot in the head.  Kind of hard for me to look past that.  The fact that no new evidence came forward to help prove him innocent is telling too.

    Sorry Brian.

    I've never been convinced those shots were fired by Peltier.  I've also believed those agents should not have been there in the first place.

    But hey, look, your a good dude and this is just one of those times we have differing opinions.  Not a problem.  To somewhat paraphrase an Edward Abbey quote:

    "I would never betray a friend to serve a cause.  Never reject a friend to help an institution.  Great nations may fall in ruin before I would discard a friend over something that wasn't personal."
    Amen, and hes guilty AF, lol.
  • Gern BlanstenGern Blansten Posts: 20,223
    If Peltier didn't fire the bullets that killed them he certainly tried to. He was shooting an AR-15 at them.
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Posts: 36,946
    brianlux said:
    brianlux said:
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.

    Have you seen this documentary:
    Incident at Oglala 1992 - IMDb

    Or read this book?
    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse  The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBIs  War on the American Indian Movement Peter Matthiessen 9780002712088  Amazoncom Books


    The pro peltier crowd will definitely make him look like hes innocent.

    2 agents were shot in the head.  Kind of hard for me to look past that.  The fact that no new evidence came forward to help prove him innocent is telling too.

    Sorry Brian.

    I've never been convinced those shots were fired by Peltier.  I've also believed those agents should not have been there in the first place.

    But hey, look, your a good dude and this is just one of those times we have differing opinions.  Not a problem.  To somewhat paraphrase an Edward Abbey quote:

    "I would never betray a friend to serve a cause.  Never reject a friend to help an institution.  Great nations may fall in ruin before I would discard a friend over something that wasn't personal."
    Amen, and hes guilty AF, lol.
    uh, you may want to read up on this a bit. Reasonable doubt AF. 

    Recanted witness statements[edit]

    Peltier was convicted in 1977 largely on the evidence presented by three witness affidavits, all signed by Myrtle Poor Bear, that placed him at the scene of the shootout and contended that Peltier planned his crimes. Poor Bear claimed to be Peltier's girlfriend at the time, but later admitted that she never knew him personally. Moreover, Poor Bear was known to be mentally unstable. This was confirmed when the FBI deemed her unfit to testify in court. But her testimony, as put forth in her previous affidavits, remained a key part of the prosecution's case against Peltier. Two other witnesses whose testimony was used to place Peltier at the scene of the crime also later recanted. They alleged that the FBI had coerced and threatened them by tying them to chairs, denying them their right to talk to their attorney, and otherwise intimidating them.[4


    Discrepancies in material evidence[edit]

    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,[42] but red pickup trucks near the reservation had been stopped for weeks, and Leonard Peltier did not drive a red pickup truck.[42] Evidence was given that Peltier was driving a Chevrolet Suburban; a large sport utility vehicle-style vehicle built on a pickup truck chassis, with an enclosed rear section.[42] Peltier's vehicle was orange with a white roof—not a red, open-bed pickup truck with no white paint.[42]

    At Peltier's trial, the FBI changed their previous statements that they had been in search of a red pickup truck and instead said that they were looking for an orange and white van, similar to the one Peltier drove. This contradictory statement by the FBI was a highly contentious matter of evidence in the trials.[42]

    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 were offered by the prosecutor's office, although other bullets were fired at the crime scene.[38][42] 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, 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 the cartridge case from the scene of the crime did not come from the rifle tied to Peltier. This evidence negated a key facet of the prosecution's case against Peltier.[42][43][failed verification] The court did not allow the defense to present the Fargo jury with information about other cases in which the FBI had been rebuked for tampering with evidence and witnesses. In some similar prosecutions against AIM leaders at the time, defense attorneys did present such evidence to the jurie

    new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

    www.headstonesband.com




  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 40,350
    brianlux said:
    brianlux said:
    Hell no.  Let him stay in prison.

    Have you seen this documentary:
    Incident at Oglala 1992 - IMDb

    Or read this book?
    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse  The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBIs  War on the American Indian Movement Peter Matthiessen 9780002712088  Amazoncom Books


    The pro peltier crowd will definitely make him look like hes innocent.

    2 agents were shot in the head.  Kind of hard for me to look past that.  The fact that no new evidence came forward to help prove him innocent is telling too.

    Sorry Brian.

    I've never been convinced those shots were fired by Peltier.  I've also believed those agents should not have been there in the first place.

    But hey, look, your a good dude and this is just one of those times we have differing opinions.  Not a problem.  To somewhat paraphrase an Edward Abbey quote:

    "I would never betray a friend to serve a cause.  Never reject a friend to help an institution.  Great nations may fall in ruin before I would discard a friend over something that wasn't personal."
    Amen, and hes guilty AF, lol.
    uh, you may want to read up on this a bit. Reasonable doubt AF. 

    Recanted witness statements[edit]

    Peltier was convicted in 1977 largely on the evidence presented by three witness affidavits, all signed by Myrtle Poor Bear, that placed him at the scene of the shootout and contended that Peltier planned his crimes. Poor Bear claimed to be Peltier's girlfriend at the time, but later admitted that she never knew him personally. Moreover, Poor Bear was known to be mentally unstable. This was confirmed when the FBI deemed her unfit to testify in court. But her testimony, as put forth in her previous affidavits, remained a key part of the prosecution's case against Peltier. Two other witnesses whose testimony was used to place Peltier at the scene of the crime also later recanted. They alleged that the FBI had coerced and threatened them by tying them to chairs, denying them their right to talk to their attorney, and otherwise intimidating them.[4


    Discrepancies in material evidence[edit]

    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,[42] but red pickup trucks near the reservation had been stopped for weeks, and Leonard Peltier did not drive a red pickup truck.[42] Evidence was given that Peltier was driving a Chevrolet Suburban; a large sport utility vehicle-style vehicle built on a pickup truck chassis, with an enclosed rear section.[42] Peltier's vehicle was orange with a white roof—not a red, open-bed pickup truck with no white paint.[42]

    At Peltier's trial, the FBI changed their previous statements that they had been in search of a red pickup truck and instead said that they were looking for an orange and white van, similar to the one Peltier drove. This contradictory statement by the FBI was a highly contentious matter of evidence in the trials.[42]

    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 were offered by the prosecutor's office, although other bullets were fired at the crime scene.[38][42] 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, 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 the cartridge case from the scene of the crime did not come from the rifle tied to Peltier. This evidence negated a key facet of the prosecution's case against Peltier.[42][43][failed verification] The court did not allow the defense to present the Fargo jury with information about other cases in which the FBI had been rebuked for tampering with evidence and witnesses. In some similar prosecutions against AIM leaders at the time, defense attorneys did present such evidence to the jurie

    Yeah I've seen and read this before.  He had something to do with it and I am ok with him in prison.

    There is not enough evidence to overturn anything.
  • Gern BlanstenGern Blansten Posts: 20,223
    It's been years but I dove into it before due to RATM being so outraged about it.

    I figured that since Obama passed on it there must be some underlying reason.
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Posts: 36,946
    It's been years but I dove into it before due to RATM being so outraged about it.

    I figured that since Obama passed on it there must be some underlying reason.
    the politics of setting an accused FBI double killer free maybe?
    new album "Cigarettes" out Spring 2025!

    www.headstonesband.com




  • Gern BlanstenGern Blansten Posts: 20,223
    It's been years but I dove into it before due to RATM being so outraged about it.

    I figured that since Obama passed on it there must be some underlying reason.
    the politics of setting an accused FBI double killer free maybe?
    maybe but....Peltier admitted to shooting at them....then he fled to Canada
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    It's been years but I dove into it before due to RATM being so outraged about it.

    I figured that since Obama passed on it there must be some underlying reason.
    the politics of setting an accused FBI double killer free maybe?

    Or just politics.

    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • Gern BlanstenGern Blansten Posts: 20,223
    edited June 13
    brianlux said:
    It's been years but I dove into it before due to RATM being so outraged about it.

    I figured that since Obama passed on it there must be some underlying reason.
    the politics of setting an accused FBI double killer free maybe?

    Or just politics.

    Obama was on his way out so I don't think he would let it go by because of that. 

    Did he actually put the bullet in the cops? Maybe not...but he put enough bullets in their direction that he allowed another to make the kill shot.
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,012
    brianlux said:
    It's been years but I dove into it before due to RATM being so outraged about it.

    I figured that since Obama passed on it there must be some underlying reason.
    the politics of setting an accused FBI double killer free maybe?

    Or just politics.

    Obama was on his way out so I don't think he would let it go by because of that. 

    Did he actually put the bullet in the cops? Maybe not...but he put enough bullets in their direction that he allowed another to make the kill shot.

    Tribal people wanted Dick Wilson removed as tribal president.  Outsiders intervened in tribal business.  People got shot.  The whole damn thing should never have happened.  White telling Indians what to do.  A quintessential snapshot of white injustice toward indigenous people.  Will this never end? 
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













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