The Trial of Leonard Peltier

by Jim Messerschmidt, William Kuntsler (Foreword)

This book makes a passionate plea for justice for Peltier, an activist in the American Indian Movement, and for the people and culture he works to defend.

Genres: Indigenous, History

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1983

Reviews

[Marisa Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is required reading for students of COINTELPRO and students of the political trial of American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier. In the 1970s, a group of tribal leaders (the GOONs) were preparing to illicitly sell a significant portion of Oglala Sioux lands to private energy interests. Elders, activists, and AIM leaders intervened, in particular because the GOONs were roughing up folks and trying to establish rule by terror. The FBI began patrolling and applying COINTELPRO, and an already tense and violent situation turned into a firefight near an activist encampment and homes of long time reservation residents. Someone murdered two FBI agents who were firing at people in the homes. In a series of trials and bizarre FBI entrapments of various alleged AIM activists, a judge, district attorney, an all-white jury, and FBI agents circumstantially pinned the murders on Peltier, despite an overwhelming amount of confounding evidence and troubling juridical decisions. Peltier is still serving 2 life sentences. Former president Obama was preparing to review Peltier's file for pardon, but never granted Peltier pardon, even though more damning evidence against the FBI's corrupt handling of the situation has emerged. Still controversial, the trial of Leonard Peltier is without a doubt an example of US injustice against Native Americans and against activists in particular, and in its discussion to this day it is possible to detect the violent Settler ideologies at play in many border towns and US federal agencies.