*From: "LPDC" <lpdc@idir.net>
 
 *Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 19:18:38 -0600
 *Subject: Letters Needed!
--

Dear Friends,

We still need more letters in support of Leonard's release through parole! We are resending the sample letters for your convenience with this short reminder. We know for a fact that the FBI and their organizations are "lobbying" constantly to stop Leonard from being released, so please help us collect an overwhelming amount of letters and ask your friends and especially local organizations (we have received very few) to do the same. We have already received hundreds, but we know there are thousands of you out there! During this critical time before the parole review hearing, we also encourage you to keep up the phone banking campaign.

Also, we just received a 60 day eviction notice from our office building who will be replacing us with more profitable businesses. Not only is this bad timing, but it will cause our expenses to rise (deposit, phone installation, etc.). If you are able to donate to the LPDC at this time it would be of great assistance to us.

Lastly we thank you for your help, work, support, and sacrifice. Keep up the good work!

  Thank you.

---LPDC

LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF PAROLE
It is really important that everyone write letters supporting Leonard¹s petition for parole. In the past there have always been a number of letters written for him: so we need to get far more such letters this year. These can be quite simple, and should just cover the basic points important for parole decisions. A sample letter is set forth here. Feel free to use it, but its even better if you can write one in your own words. The lawyers urge that the tone be courteous and concise (after all, the number one goal is to get the man OUT NOW). Then get as many friends to sign similar letters as you can. Carry a sheaf of spare letters with you. The best is to get one signature per letter, not petition form, our insider friends tell us.

Most important, PLEASE SEND THE LETTERS BACK TO US HERE!! We will compile them all together and get them bound for Carl Nadler, the parole attorney for Leonard. That way he can present stacks of letters all at the same time. This will be more impressive than having them trickle in. We will keep copies for use with Congress, the press, White House contacts etc, as well.

SAMPLE LETTER:
To: The United States Parole Commission

Dear Commissioners,
As a concerned citizen of this country, I am writing to express my full support for parole for Mr. Leonard Peltier. Mr. Peltier is a Native American leader who has now been incarcerated for some 24 years. He has served far longer than most prisoners convicted of similar crimes, and his conduct in prison has been excellent. I would be honored to receive him in my own home when he is released.

I am particularly impressed with the many good deeds Mr. Peltier has carried out during his many years behind bars. He has worked with medical experts to improve health care delivery on the reservations, and has helped to establish an entrepreneur program for talented Native youth. He was instrumental in setting up a Native American scholarship program at New York University, and helped start up a Native American newspaper in Washington State. He has sponsored two children in rural El Salvador and Guatemala, and runs annual clothing and toy drives for the people of Pine Ridge Reservation, half way houses, and women¹s centers. He has also played a key role in assisting other prisoners to display their art work across country, in order to promote prisoner art programs and increase prisoner self-confidence and esteem. This man has proven himself to be a compassionate human being and a true leader.

I am especially concerned with Mr. Peltier¹s deteriorating health. He is now 55 years old, and suffers from a heart condition as well as diabetes. He has lost most of the vision in one eye due to poor medical care. He also has a jaw condition, which causes him constant pain and prevents him from moving his jaw or chewing his food. Mayo Clinic specialist, Dr. Keller has offered free treatment in prison facilities, but has been denied authorization to assist Mr. Peltier. All of these humanitarian issues weigh in favor of parole.

Sincerely,

V. General Support Letters from Community Organizations:
We also need to start stockpiling general letters of support from every community organization we can reach. This has a double benefit. First, it educated these organizations about Leonard¹s case, and pulls them into our support network; and second, during an election year it is very important to have piles of CURRENT letters on letterheads that represent large numbers of angry voters. This letter should just be addressed to "all concerned US officials". That way we can use them for our work with Congress, meetings with Janet Reno, and our efforts to work with the White House and Presidential Wannabees. AGAIN, PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THE LETTER AND SEND US THE ORIGINALS SO WE CAN COMPILE A BOUND COPY OF THEM AND SEND COPIES ALL OUT TOGETHER TO OFFICIALS WE ARE TRYING TO REACH.

A sample letter is set forth here but feel free to change it or have the community group change it or start from scratch as they wish.

The challenge here is to go to every labor union, civic group, student group, religious organization or congregation, lawyers or doctors´ organizations, women¹s association, civil rights group etc., in your community that you can reach. Have them put the letter on their letterhead paper and send it back to us. If you know a person of status, such as a well-known local religious leader, or professor etc., an individual letter is also good. (While you are at it, have them all join you¹re delegation to visit your congressperson and senators. Make sure you have our fact sheet with you and other support letters as well. Again, these are on our web site, but if you need us to mail them to you, just give us a call.

To: All Concerned United States Officials

We wish to express our grave concern about the case of Mr. Leonard Peltier, a Native American leader who has now been incarcerated for some 24 years here in the United States. He has long been recognized as a political prisoner, by such human rights luminaries as, Amnesty International, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and, the Dalai Lama, the Archbishop of Canterbury and many others. He has the massive support of the Native American people of this country. More than any other person, he has come to symbolize the tragic and disturbing relationship between the United States government and its own Native citizenry.

We are particularly disquieted by the clear indications of FBI misconduct in the prosecution of this case. Specifically, Mr. Peltier was extradited from Canada on the basis of an affidavit signed by a Ms. Myrtle Poor Bear, who claimed to be an eyewitness to the murders in question. She later admitted that she had never met Mr. Peltier, and had signed only after being terrorized by FBI officials. However, she was not permitted to testify about this matter at his trial. The other young trial witnesses were intimidated and coerced as well by FBI officers. Moreover, at the trial a key FBI witness changed his long-standing description of the vehicle involved in the shoot out, so as to unjustly link Mr. Peltier to the scene. Perhaps most chillingly, the FBI concealed from the defense a ballistic test report reflecting Mr. Peltier¹s innocence. It would seem clear enough that a gifted Native American leader has just served twenty-four years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Despite the above, Mr. Peltier has been denied a new trial and is now overdue for parole. He has served more time than most prisoners convicted of the same crimes. His conduct in prison has been exemplary and he has participated in numerous humanitarian and civic activities from behind bars. By way of illustration, he has helped to establish Native American scholarships, and special programs for Native American youth. He has served on the advisory board of the Rosenberg Fund for Children, and has sponsored children in Central America, organized the annual Christmas drive for the people of Pine Ridge Reservation, and promoted prisoner art programs. He is clearly a man of great compassion, and should have been set free long ago through the mechanisms of parole or clemency.

Lastly, we note that Mr. Peltier is now 55 years of age and in deteriorating health. He suffers from a heart condition as well as diabetes. He has lost most of the vision in one eye due to poor medical care. He also has a jaw condition, which causes him constant pain and makes it impossible to chew his food properly or move his jaw. The prison medical staff has been unable to treat Mr. Peltier. Although a Mayo Clinic specialist has offered to assist, free of charge, within prison facilities, authorization has been denied.

Soon it will be too late for justice in this tragic case. Should Mr. Peltier become disabled or die in prison, the damage to our relations with our Native American citizens will be irreversible. We ask that urgent action be taken to set Mr. Peltier free at long last so that he may share his gifts with his beloved people. We also ask that a thorough investigation of FBI misconduct in this case, and indeed with respect to the residents of Pine Ridge Reservation, be carried out at once. Until there is justice for all, our most dearly held concepts of democracy remain at risk.

Respectfully,

Call the White House Comments Line Today
Demand Justice for Leonard Peltier! 202-456-1111

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
P.O. Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: 785-842-5774
URL: http://www.freepeltier.org
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