Robert Redford renews fight to release jailed AIM activist Leonard Peltier

Robert Redford, Executive producer and narrator of the documentary Incident at Oglala, is renewing the fight to get Leonard Peltier released from prison.

"I felt that he did not receive a fair trial," he tells The Sunday Edition this weekend.

But when Redford first visited Peltier in prison, he was initially skeptical.

"I was trying to be neutral in my feelings about him. I didn't want to be taken in by anything. I did feel that of course there would be desperation to a person in prison trying to get the word out.

"But I came out of it very sympathetic," Redford now says.

Source

For those of you who don't know who Leonard Peltier is, here is some background information.

On June 26, 1975 two FBI agents, Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were looking to arrest a man named Jimmy Eagle, who was suspected of stealing a pair of cowboy boots. They went onto the Oglala Lakota reservation at Pine Ridge seeking him. The Pine Ridge reservation was in a state of terror at that time, with daily intimidation, beatings, arson, and mayhem directed at the traditional people living there by the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (Goons). A gunfight broke out and the agents were slain. Also among the dead was a man named Joe Stuntz.

Four men, including Peltier, were charged for the killing. Leonard fled to Canada and was later illegally extradited for sentencing. While Leonard was in Canada, the other three were tried and found not guilty for reasons of self-defense. Leonard Peltier, however, wasn't so lucky. He was tried and convicted to two consecutive life sentences for the murders. This is after the FBI had been busted giving false testimony during the trial, among other offenses. For more information I suggest reading In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiesson.

You might also want to watch the documentary Incident at Oglala. Here is a link to the IMDB page.

Here is the trailer for the movie


The movie is on youtube but they want you to pay to watch it so I'm not posting it. You might be able to find it free somewhere online.

I'm going to go ahead and add a few videos of Leonard Peltier being interviewed.





This is part song, part interview. It's from the Robbie Robertson album From the Underworld of Redboy.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Yes, I have signed the petitions to free him and they are still trying to fight it out. I find the whole thing unfair,but that is what goes on when things happen on the reservation.

a reply to: Dimithae

I've signed them, too. I just hope that something comes of this.

Thanks for this post.

I spend a fair amount of time in the Black Hills area and have friends at Pine Ridge. It's so removed, so different from the
'world' that you may as well be on another planet. When I visit, I find it very solemn, very sobering. I just get lost in the place. IMO, Crazy Horse is one of the most noble men who've ever walked the Earth. It's almost like he could do no wrong.

I appreciate that Redford is sympathtic toward Leonard Peltier.

The guy at :23 in the doc is John Trudell, who played James Looks Twice in the movie "Thunderheart". His character loosely resembles Peltier.

a reply to: ColeYounger

Yes, that's John Trudell. That's another man that's been through absolute hell. Thunderheart was actually loosely based on what happened.

what did they think was going to happen? you take a continent from a race, and put him in prison, then invade the jail cell? even a rat will turn and fight, let alone a man with a proud heritage.

I found this, as well. You might find it of interest.

a reply to: fixitwcw

True. The thing is that they can't even prove that he did it. They had ballistics tests done on the firearm that they thought was used to kill them and it didn't match the shell. They even admitted that they didn't know who did it but somebody had to pay.

a reply to: Skid Mark

i have a similar situation. my mothers partner has been locked away for the same charge on the same "evidence" for 26 and a half years now.

I've signed the petitions, as well. It's a shame what we've done to the Native Americans..up to the current incarceration and the kidnapping, err, "forced relocation" of Lakota children with non-Lakota families. Turns my stomach, actually.

originally posted by: fixitwcw
a reply to: Skid Mark

i have a similar situation. my mothers partner has been locked away for the same charge on the same "evidence" for 26 and a half years now.

What happened? Are there no more appeals?

a reply to: Ironhawke

It turns mine, too. Things could be a lot better.

It is an outrage to see innocent people imprisoned for something they didn't do. Very sad to see such things. I hope he is freed and sues the pants off of whoever is responsible for ruining so many years of his life.

originally posted by: Night Star
It is an outrage to see innocent people imprisoned for something they didn't do. Very sad to see such things. I hope he is freed and sues the pants off of whoever is responsible for ruining so many years of his life.

I hate to see it, too. This is one of the things, actually the first thing, that made me see that the government and their doings aren't always as white as the driven snow as we're taught in school.