Jan. 14, 2009
Leonard has been moved to Canaan, Pennsylvania
Leonard was transferred on Jan. 13 to a high-security federal prison in Canann, Pennsylvania, northeast of his former facility in Lewisburg. Prison authorities have assured us that he will retain his phone and painting privileges and access to his diabetes medication, but we will keep you posted on the transition. Many thanks to all of you who wrote the BOP on his behalf. Please write to Leonard at his new address below.
Inmate Mail/Parcels
Do not send funds to this address; for more information go to the Inmate Money page. Use this address when sending correspondence and parcels to inmates confined at this facility.
Leonard Peltier
Inmate #89637-132
USP CANAAN
U.S. PENITENTIARY
P.O. BOX 300
WAYMART, PA 18472
Physical Address (Do not use for mail unless it is the same as the mailing address listed.)
Use this address for in-person visits.
USP CANAAN
U.S. PENITENTIARY
3057 EASTON TURNPIKE
WAYMART, PA 18472
Phone: 570-488-8000
Fax: 570-488-8130
E-mail address: CAA/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV2
Urgent Alert -- Sen. Dorgan Calls Peltier trial "fair and just"
Please write, call, or fax (Senators do not read email) Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who recently stated his belief that Leonard Peltier’s trial was “fair and just”. Dorgan is chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which is responsible for the funding and oversight of the BIA police force that terrorized the Pine Ridge reservation in the 1970s. Even if he does not support Leonard Peltier, Dorgan must acknowledge that the families of victims of federal violence such as Pedro Bissonette, Buddy Lamont, Sandra Wounded Foot, Frank Clearwater, and many others deserve the same recognition and respect as those of FBI agents Coler and Williams. Their deaths have gone not only for the most part unpunished, but also uninvestigated. History, as well as justice, demands a full congressional investigation of the events of 1973-1977 on Pine Ridge and beyond. Dorgan clearly has much to learn, and he should begin his education by asking the FBI why they are continuing to withhold documents and how they could have “misplaced” the Myrtle Poor Bear files, as they recently claimed in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. We must pressure Sen. Dorgan, as well as educate him.
As committee chairman, he will have to be more responsive to tribal demands, so tribal resolutions directed to both Dorgan and Obama are more important than ever. We will be drafting a model resolution soon, so please contact our office if you would like to work on presenting it to your tribal council. But please call or write Sen. Dorgan (form letter below for guidance) by next week and forward any responses you may receive.
For Freedom in 09,
LPDOC
Senator Byron Dorgan
322 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone (202) 224-2551
Fax (202) 224-1193
Dear Senator Dorgan:
I was disappointed to learn that you consider the conviction and sentencing of indigenous activist Leonard Peltier to have been “fair and just”. Amnesty International, which closely observed the 1977 trial and subsequent hearings and appeals, came to quite the opposite conclusion. In calling for Leonard’s “immediate and unconditional” release on Nov. 16, 2000, the human rights organization stated that it “has repeatedly voiced serious concerns over the fairness of the legal proceedings which led to Leonard Peltier’s conviction and sentence, and believes that political factors may have influenced the way in which the case was conducted”. Every federal appeals court which has reviewed the trial has found evidence of government misconduct in the case, even while denying Peltier a new trial. For instance, Appeals Court Judge Gerald Heaney, who rejected Peltier’s motion for a new trial in 1986 on technical legal grounds, five years later wrote that “the United States government must share responsibility with the Native Americans for the June 26 firefight”.
As Heaney also wrote, “We, as a nation, must treat Native Americans more fairly. Favorable action by the President in the Leonard Peltier case would be an important step in this regard.” As chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, you are in a position to initiate this healing process. It must be remembered that agents Coler and Williams were far from the only victims of the conflict on Pine Ridge, in which the BIA and FBI were key players in propping up a corrupt dictatorship. You owe it to your constituents and to yourself to conduct a full-fledged investigation into the dozens of deaths on Pine Ridge in the 1970s. Such a process, perhaps along the lines of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, will help heal the wounds of the forgotten victims of U.S.-backed death squads, as well as contribute to a fuller understanding of our shared history that will help prevent future conflicts.
Sincerely, Your Name, Address, Phone
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
IPF WEBSITE: http://users.skynet.be/kola/index.htm
and www.myspace.com/leonardpeltierisinnocent
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
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