#clemencyforleonardpeltier — Public Fediverse posts

#Taos #ReggaeBand #IrieBellion Releases Powerful Single Advocating #ClemencyForLeonardPeltier

By Native News Online Staff
January 07, 2025

"Six-piece reggae band IrieBellion, based in #TaosNewMexico, has released a new single to advocate for the release of #LeonardPeltier, a #NativeAmericanActivist who has been imprisoned for nearly 50 years.

"'Leonard Peltier’s Song' features Grammy-winning flutist #RobertMirabal of Taos Pueblo and a traditional drum group composed of singers from several Indigenous nations. Through this collaboration, the band hopes to amplify calls for President Joe Biden to grant clemency to Peltier.

"The song blends IrieBellion’s reggae-inspired rhythms with Robert Mirabal’s signature flute playing and the traditional Indigenous drumming and singing of #JohnSwiftbird (#Lakota), #ChaskePacheco (#Dakota / #SantaDomingoPueblo), and #BrysonSanchez (Dakota / #SanFelipePueblo).

"The song makes a direct #PleaForJustice, with Davis crafting a chorus —'Do the right thing, let freedom ring/ ​It's been so long, let's right this wrong' — that appeals to #PresidentBiden to take action and right what the band views as a longstanding wrong.

"The musical advocacy for Peltier's case has a rich history in popular music. #RobbieRobertson (Mohawk), the legendary guitarist and songwriter of The Band, created a particularly powerful statement with his song 'Sacrifice', which incorporated Peltier's own voice through a recorded prison phone call with Robertson. Little Steven (#StevenVanZandt), known for both his work with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and his solo career, also contributed to this musical legacy with his own 'Leonard Peltier,' which, like IrieBellion's new release, used Caribbean rhythms to carry its message of justice.

"Peltier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of #Chippewa Indians, became involved in the American Indian Movement (#AIM) in the 1970s, a time of tension between Indigneous communities and the U.S. government.

AIM advocated addressing issues such as police brutality, treaty violations, and systemic inequality affecting Native Americans.

"Peltier’s case comes from a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where two FBI agents and a young Native man were killed. The shootout occurred during a period of violence on the reservation, often referred to as the '#ReignOfTerror,' when residents faced threats and attacks for their ties to AIM.

"Peltier was convicted in 1977 of killing the agents, but his trial has been widely criticized. Key evidence was withheld by the prosecution, including ballistics reports that could have supported his defense.

"Eyewitness testimony used to extradite Peltier from Canada was later recanted, with the witness stating they were coerced by the FBI. Even the U.S. attorney who handled the case has since admitted that no one knows who fired the fatal shots.

"Peltier has maintained his innocence for nearly five decades, and his case has been condemned by numerous human rights organizations, including #AmnestyInternational. Calls for his release have grown in recent years, with Peltier now in his late seventies and facing health challenges.

"'Leonard Peltier’s Song' is available on streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, and can also be found on IrieBellion’s HearNow page. The band encourages listeners to not only enjoy the song but also take action by learning about Peltier’s case, signing petitions, and contacting officials to advocate for his release.

"For those who want to learn more, organizations such as the International #LeonardPeltierDefenseCommittee provide resources and updates on efforts to secure his freedom."

https://nativenewsonline.net/arts-entertainment/taos-reggae-band-iriebellion-releases-powerful-single-advocating-clemency-for-leonard-peltier
#ACAB #FBI #AmericanindianMovement #PineRidge #FreeLeonardPeltier #AmnestyForLeonardPeltier #ClemencyForLeonardPeltier

#NuclearColonialism v. #RedPower

"The world has no shortage of #PoliticalPrisoners – or of environmental martyrs and heroes– but 80-year-old #LeonardPeltier, a #Lakota and #Anishinaabe AIM member, is arguably the most famous, the legal lynching he underwent so outrageous, and his incarceration in a 'maximum security' prison so protracted. Even former FBI agents have themselves essentially contended that Pelter was scapegoated by the FBI for the lethal shooting of two agents–Jack Coler and Ronald Williams– on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Michael Apted’s 1992 documentary Incident at Oglala, narrated by Robert Redford, is a good place to start if you’re new to this history. But if you’re looking for insights into the role that #UraniumMining played in the conflict, you’d be better off checking out #PeterMatthiessen’s book #InTheSpiritOfCrazyHorse: Leonard Peltier and the #FBI’s War on The #AmericanIndian ovement. To hear a first-hand account, check out Peltier’s memoir #PrisonWritings: My Life Is My Sun Dance.

"Despite well-documented prosecutorial misconduct powerfully depicted in Apted’s documentary, Peltier’s conviction has yet to be overturned. And in the face of decades of global, high-profile pleas for clemency for Peltier, including by James Reynolds, a “senior US attorney who was involved in [his] prosecution,” no president up until now has been willing to free Peltier. Given that he’s in increasingly poor health, time is running out, and the same president who just pardoned his own son may be Peltier’s last shot at clemency. If you haven’t yet done so, check out the Amnesty International petition– and Amy Goodman’s and Denis Moynihan’s recent column–making the case for his release. The Red Nation media collective also has an extensive playlist of podcasts focused on Peltier’s case and the long struggle to free him.

"Peltier, arguably the world’s most visible casualty of nuclear colonialism, was only three years into his sentence when Santee Dakota organizer John Trudell, his contemporary in AIM, delivered a searing 1980 speech at the Black Hills International Survival Gathering. As Zoltan Grossman has documented, 'Multinational mining companies, such as #UnionCarbide and #Exxon, proposed the development of the #BlackHills for energy resources, including #coal mines, #uranium mines, and coal slurry #pipelines.' The Black Hills gathering brought together a global convergence of more than 10,000 Indigenous activists and non-Native allies to hold the line against a repeat of the 1950s, which, per Grossman, had 'result[ed] in the extensive irradiation of the southern Black Hills community of #Edgemont.'"

Read more:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/12/11/tis-the-season-to-talk-climate-collapse-nuclear-colonialism-and-freeing-leonard-peltier/
#FreeLeonardPeltier #ClemencyForLeonardPeltier #ACAB #AmnestyForLeonardPeltier #SilencingDissent #NoUraniumMining

It’s time for justice: Why #LeonardPeltier must be granted clemency

by Donald ‘C-Note’ Hooker, December 11, 2024

"Leonard Peltier’s story is one of profound injustice. Born in 1944 on the #TurtleMountainChippewa Reservation in North Dakota, Peltier grew up amid systemic neglect, poverty and the long shadow of federal policies designed to undermine Native sovereignty. By the 1970s, he had become a leading figure in the American Indian Movement (AIM), which fought to address the systemic injustices faced by Indigenous communities. This activism, however, placed him directly in the crosshairs of government surveillance and repression.

"On June 26, 1975, a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota left two FBI agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, dead. The incident occurred against the backdrop of extreme violence and federal overreach on the reservation. Peltier, along with Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, was charged with the agents’ deaths. While Robideau and Butler were acquitted on grounds of self-defense, Peltier fled to Canada, where he was later extradited under false pretenses based on coerced testimony.

"Peltier’s trial in 1977 was marred by prosecutorial misconduct, including the suppression of key ballistics evidence that could have exonerated him. Testimony from Myrtle Poor Bear, a witness who later admitted she had been coerced by the FBI, was used to secure his extradition and conviction. Despite these glaring issues, Peltier was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. His imprisonment has since been widely condemned by #HumanRights organizations, including #AmnestyInternational, as well as legal experts and former law enforcement officials.

"Crucially, neither the judicial nor legislative branches sentenced Leonard Peltier to death or life without parole. Yet, through repeated parole denials, he has effectively been condemned to die in prison. This abuse of the parole system undermines the fundamental principles of justice and due process, particularly when significant flaws in his trial have been acknowledged by figures like Judge Gerald Heaney, who presided over Peltier’s appeal.

"Leonard Peltier’s continued imprisonment is not just about one man – it is a reflection of a justice system that fails to protect marginalized communities from systemic abuses. His case is a glaring example of how unchecked power and political motivations can devastate lives and perpetuate injustice."

https://sfbayview.com/2024/12/its-time-for-justice-why-leonard-peltier-must-be-granted-clemency/

#FreeLeonardPeltier #ClemencyForLeonardPeltier #AmnestyForLeonardPeltier #AIM #USPol #FBI #ACAB #USJusticeSystem #Clemency #PresidentBiden #FalseTestimony #AmericanIndianMovement #PineRidge #MyrtlePoorBear #FBICoercement #AnnaMaeAquash