Leonard Peltier was charged for something he was not responsible for. With false accusations, and there were many people during the shooting, only three were suspicious. But Leonard Peltier was the only one accused of committing the crime, when the gun evidence did not match and more was kept hidden from trial.  The only evidence against Mr. Peltier is the fact that he was present at the Jumping Bull Compound during the fatal shoot out that left two FBI agents and one Native American dead.

There were more than thirty others there that day, yet Mr. Peltier is the only one who was ever sentenced and imprisoned. The FBI and other officials clearly singled out Leonard Peltier as a scapegoat, and forced him to pay the collective price for the killings which occurred, despite the lack of evidence against him.

Personalized vengeance of this kind in the U.S. by U.S. officials cannot be tolerated. Mr. Peltier has served over 47 years in prison and is long overdue for parole. He has received several human rights awards for his good deeds from behind bars which include annual gift drives for the children of Pine Ridge, fundraisers for battered women’s shelters, and donations of his paintings to Native American recovery programs. Peltier suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition. Time for justice is short.

I support that he should be granted clemency because he deserves it, and I think it is fair enough. He has been in prison for most of his life. This man deserves a second chance.