Peltier video showing: Incident at Oglala
2 views
Skip to first unread message
marcel
Feb 11, 2008, 11:36:03 AM2/11/08
to First Nations Skyvillage
Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:08:36 -0800
From: "Arthur J. Miller" <ba...@blarg.net>
CALENDAR: 'Incident at Oglala' & Arthur Miller -- Fri., Feb. 15 @ 7pm
at
King's Books in Tacoma
[On Fri., Feb. 15, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at King's Books in Tacoma,
People
for Peace, Justice, and Healing will present a screening of "Incident
at
Oglala," followed by remarks by Arthur Miller.[1] -- "INCIDENT AT
OGLALA" is an 89-minute documentary describing the case of Leonard
Peltier, who has been held in federal prison for more than thirty
years
despite widespread condemnation of his unjust trial, conviction, and
sentencing. -- From 1994 to 2007, ARTHUR MILLER, as a leader of the
Tacoma Peltier Support Group, helped organized an annual march and
rally
for justice for the imprisoned activist. -- More information and
background below. --Mark]
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/7152/
1.
WHAT: "Not Forgotten: Leonard Peltier and the Denial of Justice" -- a
showing of "Incident at Oglala" (1991, directed by Michael Apted),
followed by remarks by Arthur Miller
WHO: Sponsored by People for Peace, Justice, and Healing
(http://www.tacomapjh.org)
WHEN: Friday, February 15, 2008 -- 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA 98403
On Fri., Feb. 15, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at King's Books in Tacoma, People
for
Peace, Justice, and Healing is pleased to present a screening of
"Incident
at Oglala," followed by remarks by Arthur Miller.
"INCIDENT AT OGLALA" is an 89-minute documentary describing the case
of
Leonard Peltier, who has been held in federal prison for more than
thirty
years despite widespread condemnation of his unjust trial, conviction,
and
sentencing. From 1994 to 2007, ARTHUR MILLER, as a leader of the
Tacoma
Peltier Support Group, helped organized an annual march and rally for
justice for the imprisoned activist.
BACKGROUND
"As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we
make a
mighty fist." -- Sitting Bull.
Leonard Peltier, now 63, grew up on the Turtle Mountain Indian
Reservation
of North Dakota and became active in the American Indian Movement
(AIM).
In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the
murder of
two FBI agents who died in a Jun. 26, 1975, shoot-out at Pine Ridge,
an
Oglala Sioux Native American reservation in South Dakota. Peltier is
presently held at the U.S. penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Pine Ridge was originally part of the 60m-acre Great Sioux Reservation
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sioux_Reservation) established by
the
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. The U.S. government violated this treaty
in
1877, after gold was found there, by opening the Black Hills to
settlement. It violated it again in 1889 by dividing it into seven
separate reservations. The Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 occurred in
the
context of transportation of Sioux to Pine Ridge. In 1980, the Supreme
Court ruled in U.S. v. Sioux Nation of Indians that the Black Hills
had
been illegally taken, and that remuneration be paid; the Lakota Sioux
have
refused the settlement.
These historic injustices form the background of the Leonard Peltier
case.
They also led in 1973 to a long stand-off between American Indian
Movement and the FBI and National Guard at Pine Ridge. For several
years
thereafter, the reservation was the scene of many murders, in
particular
of opponents of the tribal government that had been installed by the
U.S.
Bureau of Indian Affairs. AIM alleged official complicity in much of
that
violence.
"Incident at Oglala" (1991, directed by Michael Apted) portrays the
incident that led to the crime for which Leonard Peltier was
convicted.
It dramatizes the events that led to the death of two FBI agents who
were
looking for a young man named Jimmy Eagle, wanted in connection with a
recent assault and robbery. At this time Leonard Peltier was a
fugitive
from prosecution for a crime of which he was later acquitted. Peltier
fled Pine Ridge after the FBI agents were killed, but in February 1976
was
apprehended in Canada. Although two of Peltier's associates with him
when
the FBI agents were killed were tried and found not guility by reason
of
self-defense by a federal jury in Iowa while Peltier was fighting
extradition to the United States, in 1977 Leonard Peltier himself was
tried, convicted, and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in
prison in
Fargo, North Dakota.
Peltier's trial, conviction, and sentencing have all been widely
criticized, and Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond
Tutu,
Rigoberta Menchú, Amnesty International, the United Nations
Commissioner
on Human Rights, the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, the
Italian Parliament, and the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
have
expressed support for him. More than 500 celebrities, politicians, and
organizations worldwide have signed a letter/petition in support of
Peltier, including Michael Apted, Kris Kristofferson, Peter
Matthiessen,
Madonna, Bono, Sting, Vivienne Westwood, Giorgio Armani, Cher, Kylie
Minogue, Elton John, Oliver Stone, Danielle Mitterrand, Desmond Tutu,
Mikhail Gorbachev, Raquel Welch, Joan Collins, Ozzy Osbourne, Bianca
Jagger, and Kate Moss.
The Peltier case has played a small role in the current presidential
nominating contest in the Democratic Party. Last year billionaire
David
Geffen, a Peltier supporter, ended his financial support for Hillary
Clinton's presidential campaign and became a contributor to Barack
Obama's
campaign instead. In February 2007, Geffen said
(http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2899764&page=1) he had ended his
support for the Clintons because he became disillusioned by Bill
Clinton's
refusal to pardon Peltier at the end of his second term, while
pardoning
Marc Rich, the wealthy metals trader and felon.
There is no charge and this event is open to the public.
***
Last year, the Tacoma Peltier Support Group issued this statement:
(http://olyblog.net/events/leonard-peltier-march-and-rally-in-tacoma-
feb-2007)
"The shadow of totalitarianism is slowly creeping across the land. Our
civil liberties are under attack. Our government has our country
fighting
a war of aggression that is not in the interest of the people of this
land. If you take a close look at all that is taking place you will be
able to see direct parallels to the case of Leonard Peltier and thus
understand why all people who believe in peace, justice and freedom
should
actively support Leonard.
"The first connection can be found in whose interests the government
is
acting in. There are few today that cannot see that the war in Iraq is
about oil and the interests of the multi-national energy corporations.
Behind the events that took place on the Pine Ridge Reservation were
the
interests of the multi-national energy corporations wanting uranium
that
was found there. In both cases armed force was used to seize control
of
those resources and to suppress opposition.
"In the pursuit of suppressing opposition, constitutional and human
rights
were denied. Matter of fact, many things that the FBI did against AIM
and
Leonard Peltier, which at the time were illegal, the government has
made
legal by acts of congress. Though the government says that such denial
of
human rights is justifiable for their war against 'terrorism,' the
fact is
that the government has also targeted those who oppose its policies
who
are clearly not terrorists. The case of Leonard Peltier clearly shows
why
such power should never be given to the FBI and others in power. For
it
can be seen clearly that Leonard's constitutional rights were denied
him.
"The reasons given by the government for the war in Iraq have been
shown
to be fabrications to justify the war. Still the war continues. The
evidence that the government presented at Leonard's trial has all been
disproved as either fabricated evidence or intimidated witnesses, to
the
point that even the courts have admitted it. Still Leonard is in
prison
and no new and fair trial is granted.
"The government has done all that it can to suppress the documents
that it
has on both the war in Iraq and the case of Leonard Peltier. In
Leonard's
case there are over 120,000 pages of documents that are still being
withheld for reasons of 'national security.' Whose national security
is
being protected? In both cases the national security of the people is
being threaten by the withholding of the truth.
"One year the police contacted us about our march and asked us if
there
will be any anti-war people in our march. Our answer was, we don't
believe
that there will be any pro-war people in the march. Even the police
worried about the connection between peace and justice.
"For these reasons we are calling for all people who believe in peace,
justice and freedom to join us for the 14th Annual International Day
in
Solidarity with Leonard Peltier Regional Tacoma March and Rally. In
The
Spirit Of Crazy Horse."
From: "Arthur J. Miller" <ba...@blarg.net>
CALENDAR: 'Incident at Oglala' & Arthur Miller -- Fri., Feb. 15 @ 7pm
at
King's Books in Tacoma
[On Fri., Feb. 15, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at King's Books in Tacoma,
People
for Peace, Justice, and Healing will present a screening of "Incident
at
Oglala," followed by remarks by Arthur Miller.[1] -- "INCIDENT AT
OGLALA" is an 89-minute documentary describing the case of Leonard
Peltier, who has been held in federal prison for more than thirty
years
despite widespread condemnation of his unjust trial, conviction, and
sentencing. -- From 1994 to 2007, ARTHUR MILLER, as a leader of the
Tacoma Peltier Support Group, helped organized an annual march and
rally
for justice for the imprisoned activist. -- More information and
background below. --Mark]
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/7152/
1.
WHAT: "Not Forgotten: Leonard Peltier and the Denial of Justice" -- a
showing of "Incident at Oglala" (1991, directed by Michael Apted),
followed by remarks by Arthur Miller
WHO: Sponsored by People for Peace, Justice, and Healing
(http://www.tacomapjh.org)
WHEN: Friday, February 15, 2008 -- 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA 98403
On Fri., Feb. 15, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at King's Books in Tacoma, People
for
Peace, Justice, and Healing is pleased to present a screening of
"Incident
at Oglala," followed by remarks by Arthur Miller.
"INCIDENT AT OGLALA" is an 89-minute documentary describing the case
of
Leonard Peltier, who has been held in federal prison for more than
thirty
years despite widespread condemnation of his unjust trial, conviction,
and
sentencing. From 1994 to 2007, ARTHUR MILLER, as a leader of the
Tacoma
Peltier Support Group, helped organized an annual march and rally for
justice for the imprisoned activist.
BACKGROUND
"As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we
make a
mighty fist." -- Sitting Bull.
Leonard Peltier, now 63, grew up on the Turtle Mountain Indian
Reservation
of North Dakota and became active in the American Indian Movement
(AIM).
In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the
murder of
two FBI agents who died in a Jun. 26, 1975, shoot-out at Pine Ridge,
an
Oglala Sioux Native American reservation in South Dakota. Peltier is
presently held at the U.S. penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Pine Ridge was originally part of the 60m-acre Great Sioux Reservation
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sioux_Reservation) established by
the
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. The U.S. government violated this treaty
in
1877, after gold was found there, by opening the Black Hills to
settlement. It violated it again in 1889 by dividing it into seven
separate reservations. The Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 occurred in
the
context of transportation of Sioux to Pine Ridge. In 1980, the Supreme
Court ruled in U.S. v. Sioux Nation of Indians that the Black Hills
had
been illegally taken, and that remuneration be paid; the Lakota Sioux
have
refused the settlement.
These historic injustices form the background of the Leonard Peltier
case.
They also led in 1973 to a long stand-off between American Indian
Movement and the FBI and National Guard at Pine Ridge. For several
years
thereafter, the reservation was the scene of many murders, in
particular
of opponents of the tribal government that had been installed by the
U.S.
Bureau of Indian Affairs. AIM alleged official complicity in much of
that
violence.
"Incident at Oglala" (1991, directed by Michael Apted) portrays the
incident that led to the crime for which Leonard Peltier was
convicted.
It dramatizes the events that led to the death of two FBI agents who
were
looking for a young man named Jimmy Eagle, wanted in connection with a
recent assault and robbery. At this time Leonard Peltier was a
fugitive
from prosecution for a crime of which he was later acquitted. Peltier
fled Pine Ridge after the FBI agents were killed, but in February 1976
was
apprehended in Canada. Although two of Peltier's associates with him
when
the FBI agents were killed were tried and found not guility by reason
of
self-defense by a federal jury in Iowa while Peltier was fighting
extradition to the United States, in 1977 Leonard Peltier himself was
tried, convicted, and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in
prison in
Fargo, North Dakota.
Peltier's trial, conviction, and sentencing have all been widely
criticized, and Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond
Tutu,
Rigoberta Menchú, Amnesty International, the United Nations
Commissioner
on Human Rights, the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, the
Italian Parliament, and the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
have
expressed support for him. More than 500 celebrities, politicians, and
organizations worldwide have signed a letter/petition in support of
Peltier, including Michael Apted, Kris Kristofferson, Peter
Matthiessen,
Madonna, Bono, Sting, Vivienne Westwood, Giorgio Armani, Cher, Kylie
Minogue, Elton John, Oliver Stone, Danielle Mitterrand, Desmond Tutu,
Mikhail Gorbachev, Raquel Welch, Joan Collins, Ozzy Osbourne, Bianca
Jagger, and Kate Moss.
The Peltier case has played a small role in the current presidential
nominating contest in the Democratic Party. Last year billionaire
David
Geffen, a Peltier supporter, ended his financial support for Hillary
Clinton's presidential campaign and became a contributor to Barack
Obama's
campaign instead. In February 2007, Geffen said
(http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2899764&page=1) he had ended his
support for the Clintons because he became disillusioned by Bill
Clinton's
refusal to pardon Peltier at the end of his second term, while
pardoning
Marc Rich, the wealthy metals trader and felon.
There is no charge and this event is open to the public.
***
Last year, the Tacoma Peltier Support Group issued this statement:
(http://olyblog.net/events/leonard-peltier-march-and-rally-in-tacoma-
feb-2007)
"The shadow of totalitarianism is slowly creeping across the land. Our
civil liberties are under attack. Our government has our country
fighting
a war of aggression that is not in the interest of the people of this
land. If you take a close look at all that is taking place you will be
able to see direct parallels to the case of Leonard Peltier and thus
understand why all people who believe in peace, justice and freedom
should
actively support Leonard.
"The first connection can be found in whose interests the government
is
acting in. There are few today that cannot see that the war in Iraq is
about oil and the interests of the multi-national energy corporations.
Behind the events that took place on the Pine Ridge Reservation were
the
interests of the multi-national energy corporations wanting uranium
that
was found there. In both cases armed force was used to seize control
of
those resources and to suppress opposition.
"In the pursuit of suppressing opposition, constitutional and human
rights
were denied. Matter of fact, many things that the FBI did against AIM
and
Leonard Peltier, which at the time were illegal, the government has
made
legal by acts of congress. Though the government says that such denial
of
human rights is justifiable for their war against 'terrorism,' the
fact is
that the government has also targeted those who oppose its policies
who
are clearly not terrorists. The case of Leonard Peltier clearly shows
why
such power should never be given to the FBI and others in power. For
it
can be seen clearly that Leonard's constitutional rights were denied
him.
"The reasons given by the government for the war in Iraq have been
shown
to be fabrications to justify the war. Still the war continues. The
evidence that the government presented at Leonard's trial has all been
disproved as either fabricated evidence or intimidated witnesses, to
the
point that even the courts have admitted it. Still Leonard is in
prison
and no new and fair trial is granted.
"The government has done all that it can to suppress the documents
that it
has on both the war in Iraq and the case of Leonard Peltier. In
Leonard's
case there are over 120,000 pages of documents that are still being
withheld for reasons of 'national security.' Whose national security
is
being protected? In both cases the national security of the people is
being threaten by the withholding of the truth.
"One year the police contacted us about our march and asked us if
there
will be any anti-war people in our march. Our answer was, we don't
believe
that there will be any pro-war people in the march. Even the police
worried about the connection between peace and justice.
"For these reasons we are calling for all people who believe in peace,
justice and freedom to join us for the 14th Annual International Day
in
Solidarity with Leonard Peltier Regional Tacoma March and Rally. In
The
Spirit Of Crazy Horse."
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages