Regional March and Rally for Clemency for Leonard Peltier Update

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From:Tacoma Chapter of the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee, P.O.
Box 5464, Tacoma, WA 98415-0464 bayou@blarg.net

As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we make a
mighty fist. -- Sitting Bull

REGIONAL MARCH AND RALLY FOR CLEMENCY FOR LEONARD PELTIER

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011, TACOMA, WA.

12:00 NOON: MARCH FOR JUSTICE Portland Ave. Park (on Portland Ave. between
E. 35th & E. Fairbanks. Take Portland Ave. exit off I-5 and head east)

1:00 PM: RALLY FOR JUSTICE U.S. Federal Court House, 1717-Pacific Ave.

SPEAKERS:                                                            
Co-MCs:
Matilaja: Yu'Pik/Yakama,
Tacoma Chapter LPDOC
Steve Hapy: Tacoma Chapter LPDOC                     Drum
Albert Combs: Coastal Salish drum song
           Keynote Speaker:                                           
Ramona Bennett: Puyallup Tribal Member, Long time Native
Activist
Dorothy Ackerman: Lakota Elder
Chauncey Peltier: Son of Leonard Peltier
Deeahop Conway, Puyallup, Tacoma Chapter LPDOC
Peter Bohmer, long-term activist, member of Olympia Movement for Justice
and Peace, and faculty at the Evergreen State College
Juan Jose Bocanegra: Coordinator/Organizer, The Committee for Immigration
Reform and Social Justice (El Comite Pro Reforma Migratoria y Justicia
Social)
David Duenas: Puyallup
Arthur J. Miller: Northwest Regional Organizer LPDOC
Michael One Road: Portland Chapter LPDOC

CAR POOLS: OLYMPIA: There will be a carpool leaving from the parking lot
at Harrison and Division at 10:15 am. SEATTLE: Meet at the Red Apple
parking lot at 23rd and Jackson. Will be leaving at 10:30 am. PORTLAND,
people interested in carpooling, transportation will meet up outside of
KBOO Radio Station (20 SE 8th, Portland, OR 97124) before embarking to
Tacoma between 9:00-9:30am. Please RSVP if you either need transportation
from Portland or are willing to share your vehicle to carpool
oregon.jericho@gmail.com  (503)-750-0523.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LEONARD PELTIER CLEMENCY CAMPAIGN

Leonard Peltier has been in prison since 1976 for the crime of defending
his people. The government violated their own laws and the constitution in
order to convict Leonard. Even the Tenth Circuit Court found that, "Much
of the government's behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and in its
prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld
evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed." After
witnesses changed their stories and it was found that the FBI ballistics
report had been faberacated, U.S. Government prosecutors have stated that
they don't know what role Leonard played in the firefight-- he was just
there that day and thus, by default, aided and abetted in the deaths of
the agents. It can be reasoned that since the first two AIM members were
found not guilty by reason of self-defense, then Leonard has been in
prison all these years for aiding and abetting an act of self-defense.

In his many years in prison Leonard has stood strong. Now Leonard has
grown old and is in bad health and this clemency campaign maybe his last
chance. Leonard needs your help.

There is a reason why the government came down so hard on Leonard, AIM and
Traditional Native People. When the government forced Native people on to
reservations, they thought they were placing them upon land that no one
else wanted. Later it was found that under some of that land were things
they did want like gold, coal, oil, and uranium. The Traditional People
were unwilling to sell any of their land, so the government set out to
take it. Standing in their way were Traditional People and organizations
like the American Indian Movement (AIM). The government sought to suppress
AIM and just being a member of AIM meant being targeted. This is what is
behind Leonard's case.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that the real motivation behind both Wounded
Knee II and the Oglala firefight, and much of the turmoil throughout
Indian Country since the early 1970s, was-and is-the mining companies'
desire to muffle AIM and all traditional Indian people, who sought-and
still seek-to protect the land, water, and air from their thefts and
depredations. In this sad and tragic age we live in, to come to the
defense of Mother Earth is to be branded a criminal." --Leonard Peltier,
Prison Writings -

Every social activist should be concerned about Leonard Peltier because
his case shows how far the government will go to suppress an activist, and
that the interests of the government sometimes means acting against the
people of this land.

Please help support Leonard in solidarity with his long struggle, Please
help support Leonard in solidarity with the people resisting the
government's actions against them. Please help support Leonard because any
of us could face repression because we stand up for what we believe is
right or that we stand in the way of something that the government wants.
This land called America is not just the government and the power elites
who gain great wealth at the expense of the people and the land. This land
called America is also the people who live here and the land itself.
Though many things are done in our name, we the people must stand up for
our real interests in unity and solidarity and among those interests is
freeing Leonard Peltier.

Our May 21, 2011 Regional Leonard Peltier Clemency March will be the start
of a new clemency campaign for Leonard. We need your help in getting
information out on it, so that we can make it as strong of a showing as
possible. Thank you.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Forward this message to as many people, groups and organizations as you
can. Please get it onto e-mail lists, web sites and facebook.

2. We have a march and clemency information packet that you can read and
get out to others, which you can down load at:

http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2011/04/11/leonard_peltier_infopack.pdf

3. We have a march poster and flier which you can get out any where you
can, you can download it at:

poster:
http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2011/04/13/peltier_poster.pdf
Flier
http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2011/04/07/peltier_flier.pdf

4. Sound System. We are still looking for a sound system for the rally. If
you can help us, please send a message to: bayou@blarg.net

5. Photos and video. We need photos of the march and rally for Leonard,
the LPDOC and local use. We need video of the march and rally to be used
by other groups around the country. So if you could please send us copies
of photos and video.

6. New banners and signs for people to carry.

7. DONATIONS: Organizing this march has already costs us more than we have
raised by donations. We are still trying to get out our mass mailing. How
large that will be depends upon how much more money we can raise. We are a
grassroots movement, we get no outside funding and depend upon donations.
Please make checks out to: The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee,
(mark them for NW March) and mail them to: Tacoma Chapter, LPDOC, P.O. Box
5464, Tacoma, WA 98415-0464. Thank you.

Here is the link to the radio interview with Susan Morales, member of the
Tacoma Chapter, LPDOC and long time Native activist, speaking about
Leonard Peltier and the May 21st Peltier Clemency rally.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/04/12/18676966.php

Join Tacoma LPDOC on facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100002154914197

For more information: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info