LEONARD PELTIER IS NOT ALONE ….. AMNESTY FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!

September 15, 2009 at 6:53 am

By Chippy Dee

On September 12th, Leonard Peltier’s 65th birthday, people gathered in the Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall in N.Y.C. for an evening of remembrance. It was a time to think about political prisoners. This country claims that there are none but, unfortunately, that is not the case. There are about 220 political prisoners in U.S. prisons representing many issues from civil rights to environmentalism. The MCs for the evening were Paulette D’Auteuil from the Jericho Movement and Benjamin Ramos from the Pro Libertad Freedom Campaign. After a blessing was given by Tiokasin Ghosthorse in the Lakota language 3 dynamic women, the Mahina Movement, sang songs in English and Spanish that they composed.

Mike Kuzma, Leonard Peltier’s Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) lawyer spoke next. He has been trying to get Peltier’s file from the FBI and the CIA. They gave his lawyers 3500 pages but there are 142,579 pages still being kept by the government on “national security” grounds. He then described what happened at Peltier’s parole hearing on July 28th. Eric Seitz, his parole lawyer, represented Leonard. Appearing against him and for the government was a representative of the FBI, the assistant U.S. attorney from South Dakota, the son of one of the FBI agents that was killed, and Ed Woods, an anti-Peltier blogger. The FBI and the Justice Department said that the release of this “violent, armed criminal would jeopardize the public welfare”. Further, Leonard Peltier had repeatedly engaged in violent crime and the killing of an FBI agent is an attack on the law of the nation. Then this Bush appointed parole board, after a few weeks, denied parole for Leonard. Several of his supporters, including his 2 sisters, have been standing outside the White House trying to speak to Obama. His sister Betty chained herself to the gate. Another supporter just ended a one week fast. Obama has not met with them. Since 2003 Leonard has been trying to get transferred to a prison closer to his home. By law prisoners are not to be incarcerated more than 500 miles from their home. In an effort to accomplish this Kuzma has written to the Bureau of Prisons several times but has never received a response.

He then told us about someone named Frank Blackhorse who, in actuality, is named Frank DeLuca and has no aboriginal blood at all. He was arrested in Canada with Leonard and faced the same charges. Before that, in 1973, he allegedly shot an FBI agent. He was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury a year later but didn’t appear for his trial in April, 1975. Frank Blackhorse had worked his way into the trust of the Indian movement. He even became the head of security for AIM. It now appears that Frank Blackhorse was a paid FBI operative. When he was brought back to the U.S. with Peltier the government dropped the 1973 attempted murder charges against him. In an interview on Law & Disorder Radio (April 2009) Kuzma said that in doing his work on FOIA it became clear that, along with others, Leonard Peltier had been targeted by the FBI under Cointel Pro.
Blackhorse/DeLuca is now living free in Canada. Kuzma wonders if he is the man that killed the 2 FBI agents at Pine Ridge, SD in 1975.

That was followed by an excellent musical performance by Ghosthorse on a flute, 2 guitarists, and a drummer.

The next speaker, Alison Bodine from Pastors for Peace, discussed the Cuban 5 : Fernando Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Rene Gonzalez, Ramon Labanino, and Antonio Guerrero. Eleven years ago these 5 men came to Miami from Cuba to investigate acts of terrorism against Cuba. They were anti-terrorists. When discovered they were tried for “conspiracy to commit murder and espionage”. Please note that when being tried for conspiracy you may not have done anything at all. The trial was in Miami where there is an enormous anti-Castro Cuban population with political power. Alison said the 5 Cubans were fighting for their country – that is why they are in prison. Political prisoners depend on people to fight for them in the streets. The prisoners said that they can stay strong if even 1 person is fighting for their freedom. The Cuban 5 have very many people supporting them, 13 million in Cuba and many more internationally.

Dylcia Pagan, the next speaker, was born in N.Y.C. She was arrested in 1980 with her comrades and accused of participating in and underground wing of the Puerto Rican independence movement. She received a 55 year sentence for seditious conspiracy in relation to activities with the FALN. No evidence was ever presented linking them to an act of violence. The defendants refused to participate in the trial claiming to be prisoners of war. After 20 years in prison she was granted clemency by Clinton shortly before he left office. Once released she moved to Puerto Rico. She said she survived prison with her spirit, integrity, and political principles intact. She has become a poet and read one of her poems about freedom which, she said, comes from within.

The final speaker was attorney Lynne Stewart who referred to herself as a “not-to-be political prisoner”. She introduced Susan Rosenberg who was sitting in the back of the room. Rosenberg was charged with driving the getaway car in the Brinks robbery (1981) Arrested in 1984, she was given a 58 year sentence on weapons and explosives charges. The sentence was commuted by Clinton on his last day in office.

Lynne Stewart said that Leonard’s only hope is in the hands of the people’s movement, the people in this room and the others around the nation. They have taken our heroes away from us and our children, she said. We have to go on fighting. She told her grandson to write to Sundiata Acoli* in prison when the child had questions about the space program. Sundiata was a mathematician and computer analyst. After volunteering to work on voter registration in Mississippi with SNCC the summer of 1964 when Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman were killed, he couldn’t return to his non-involved life. He joined the Harlem Black Panther Party and did community work involving schools, jobs, housing, and child care. In ‘69 he and 20 others (the Panthers 21 conspiracy case) were arrested for conspiracy to blow-up N.Y.C. department stores and the N.Y. Botanical Gardens. They were held in jail, denied bail, for 2 years while the case was being prepared. The trial lasted 8 months and all the defendants were acquitted in 56 minutes. When released Sundiata was constantly harassed. In 1973 while driving on the N.J. Turnpike with friends their car was stopped by N.J. state troopers. What happened next is not entirely clear. One of the Panthers was killed as was a trooper. Sundiata was tried for the death of the trooper and sentenced to life + 30 years in prison. In ‘92 he was denied parole and told that his next eligibility would be in 20 years. The reason given was his membership in the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army prior to his arrest. In 2004 he was denied parole again. He has been incarcerated in the worst prisons in the country. One, in Marion, Illinois, was condemned by Amnesty International for violating the minimal standards set by the United Nations for treatment of prisoners.

Sundiata answered Lynne Stewart’s grandson’s letter. He told the boy that once his consciousness was raised he could never return to who he was before. Stewart said that once you confront law enforcement they keep you in prison. She pointed out that Leonard, who supported Obama, just wrote that he is now Obama’s prisoner. Political prisoners lead useful lives in jail. She suggested that everyone write to the following to get a list of the prisoners (nycjericho@gmail.com) and chose one to write to – they are anxious to get mail. For these prisoners the MOVEMENT IS THEIR FAMILY.
Assata Shakur, who was arrested with Sundiata but escaped from prison, wrote to Lynne Stewart from her home in Cuba, “Save Mumia – brave souls wait for the love of the people to save them”.

Information about Sundiata Acoli is from prisonactivist.org

Photos © by Bud Korotzer