DoomsdaysCW<p>It’s time for justice: Why <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LeonardPeltier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LeonardPeltier</span></a> must be granted clemency</p><p>by Donald ‘C-Note’ Hooker, December 11, 2024</p><p>"Leonard Peltier’s story is one of profound injustice. Born in 1944 on the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TurtleMountainChippewa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TurtleMountainChippewa</span></a> 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.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"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 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanRights</span></a> organizations, including <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AmnestyInternational" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AmnestyInternational</span></a>, as well as legal experts and former law enforcement officials.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"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." </p><p><a href="https://sfbayview.com/2024/12/its-time-for-justice-why-leonard-peltier-must-be-granted-clemency/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">sfbayview.com/2024/12/its-time</span><span class="invisible">-for-justice-why-leonard-peltier-must-be-granted-clemency/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FreeLeonardPeltier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FreeLeonardPeltier</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClemencyForLeonardPeltier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClemencyForLeonardPeltier</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AmnestyForLeonardPeltier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AmnestyForLeonardPeltier</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AIM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AIM</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/USPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USPol</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FBI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FBI</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ACAB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ACAB</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/USJusticeSystem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USJusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Clemency" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Clemency</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PresidentBiden" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PresidentBiden</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FalseTestimony" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FalseTestimony</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AmericanIndianMovement" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AmericanIndianMovement</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PineRidge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PineRidge</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MyrtlePoorBear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MyrtlePoorBear</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FBICoercement" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FBICoercement</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AnnaMaeAquash" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AnnaMaeAquash</span></a></p>