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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the Leonard Peltier case since I wrote last year inviting your to our annual June 26 gathering (this year Friday from 4:30--6 pm at Lake Av/Superior St) to demand Clemency and JUSTICE for the people of Pine Ridge, SD and Leonard Peltier. Last year I wrote of legal irregularities noticed by former MN Atty Gen, Myles Lord, and Lynne Crooks in what became a kangaroo railroading case to make an example, make someone take the rap for Wounded Knee, 1973.
In hindsight there was a justified civil war at the Pine Ridge, SD Indian Reservation for 3.5 years in the early 1970s with the Wounded Knee occupation/seige being the “known” battle.  If you think ferguson or Baltimore were bad, think Ferguson, MO
going on for  years day after day with televison coverage  for a month until ordered out by the US government.
In 1972 Richard Wilson was elected Tribal Chair at Pine Ridge.  Wilson immediatley began hassrassing, threatening, firing opponents and hiring supporters, and actually murdering and injuring people.  Within months of his election the people demanding impeachment proceedings.  The “regular judge” was not available and through a quirk in the law Wilson chose the judge of his own impeachment trial.  Why didm’t Leonard Peltier get to choose his judge?  The people readied themselves for the inevitable. The hearings lasted two days and two days later Wounded Knee was occupied for 2.5 months.  I had the honor of being there for seven weeks and ran the printing press, typing on those old blue stencils, staffing the secuity office, in charge of the sign in book, and most proudly because everyone thought I was fair:  distributing what fe bullets we had.  We shot one bullet for every 10,000 shot at us.
The despot Wilson was given full backing by Nixon and J Edgar (Mary Hoover) as they sent in FBI, US Marshalls, US Army to bck Wilson’s “Goon Squad”  Over 3.5 years 70 Lakota were murdered and over 300 injured by the US government backed Goon Squad’s reign of terror.  Now think doublespeak.  Another battle in this civil war took place at Oglala (see Robert Redford’s “Incident at Oglala” on Youtube) over two years later on June 26, 1975.  If this was not a full blown US government occupation of the nation’s POOREST county, what on earth was it?  On June 26 a shoot out resulted in the “KILLING” of native and Peltier friend, Joe Stuntz. This “killing” was never investigated by ANY agency of government.  But in the same shoot out two FBI agents were “MURDERED” supposedly by Peltier.  No mention the other two men charged were freed on self-defense and one later claimed his bullets killed the agents. There had to be an EXAMPLE in the civil war and someone had to TAKE THE RAP for that day and the total 3.5 years.
 40 years later we ask Obama for Clemency with FREE PELTIER FRIDAYS or weekly calls to the white House comments line:  202-456-1111.  The volunteer operators actually brighten up when they hear you say Peltier--you just need to say two sentences as Peltier has his own category (a very good thing).  Please join us and bring large signs for Leonard Peltier Day Duluth, Friday, June 26, 4:30-6 pm at Lake Av/Superior St for speakers raised at Pine Ridge, Wounded Knee 1973 veteran, community leaders, authors and acoustic entertainment as we celebrate the PURE GRACE under pressure by Peltier.  by this time we hope Duluth will officially declare Leonard Pelteir Day and give Peltier the Key to the City as an example to be used nationally.    In the present political climate the charge for Clemency must be led by Duluth, all of Minnesota, and our elected officials need to make noise.  I will be very disappointed if the City Council does not officially do this--really a mere declaration and Key to the City may turn the tide.  Call Mayor and Council and ask them to do their part to help right one of many wrongs in  the history of native people in the US.  
Adam Ritscher will be honored for his years of toil to Peltier and social justice.  When I spoke last year I immediately knew the road had been paved as all television stations came and jeep loads of frat boys and college girls yelled out and pumped their fists yelling “Free Leonard Peltier”  The support by the Duluth public was overwhelming and a renewed call for Clemency must begin right here, right now by elected officials who must take LEADERSHIP.
   On June 26 the formation of LABOR FOR LEONARD began in Twin Ports, Tacoma, South Dakota and Western Michigan. As both a labor and enrolled Chippewa, I see our groups as natural allies against the dark 1% who continue to just take and plunder.