Let’s Take Action for Leonard Peltier
Call To Action is proud to be among those calling on President Biden for the release of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier. We’ve previously directly petitioned Biden for Peltier’s release. Again, we call on Biden to act according to Catholic Social Teaching, but we need your help.
Community Action for Leonard Peltier —Sponsored by CTA’s Indigenous Solidarity Collective
Want to take direct action for Leonard Peltier? Join us for this community action event, where we’ll walk you through how to send a letter to your U.S. senators and representatives to petition for Peltier’s clemency. We’ll provide you with the petition and the info—all you need to bring is your commitment!
For more than 45 years, Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned despite what supporters and advocates allege was a grossly unfair trial that mishandled evidence.
Peltier received two consecutive life-in-prison sentences for the killing of two FBI agents during a shootout at South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. He was arrested on February 6, 1976, and began his prison sentence the following year. February 6 is commemorated among his supporters as Global Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier.
Peltier, who is of Lakota and Dakota descent, grew up on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in North Dakota and attended a residential school that promoted forced assimilation into White American culture. In the early 1970s, Peltier joined the American Indian Movement (AIM) and became involved in organizing for Indigenous rights. During the 1973 Wounded Knee takeover and occupation, he spent time in a Milwaukee jail for the charge of attempted murder of a police officer—for which he was eventually acquitted.
Following Wounded Knee, Peltier traveled to South Dakota to help organize and de-escalate growing tensions and violence at the Indian communities at Pine Ridge. He was later accused of fatally shooting FBI agents Ronald Arthur Williams and Jack Ross Coler during a shootout on the reservation; the officers were searching for a young Indigenous man in connection with a robbery. The FBI placed Peltier on their 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
After several months on the run, Canadian authorities arrested Peltier at a farm in Alberta. He was eventually extradited to the United States under controversial circumstances—several documents involved in the extradition, including an affidavit from a Pine Ridge resident, contained false information and statements.
Peltier’s trial was also controversial for its handling of these falsified documents and witnesses, some of whom later recanted their testimonies. “Amnesty International has long maintained that there are serious concerns about the fairness of proceedings leading to his trial and conviction,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, the organization’s Americas director, said in a recent statement. “At 78 years old, Leonard has spent more than 46 years in prison and been repeatedly denied parole. We have serious concerns about his deteriorating health, including re-exposure to COVID-19.”
Amnesty International, along with many grassroots Indigenous and American Indian organizations, has lobbied for Peltier’s clemency for years. Peltier has already been denied clemency during President Barack Obama’s tenure. Now, Peltier’s supporters hope President Joseph Biden, led by his Catholic faith, will extend grace and compassion and release Peltier.
Call To Action is proud to be among those calling on Biden for Peltier’s clemency. In October 2022, Call To Action directly petitioned Biden for Peltier’s release. Again, we call on Biden to act according to Catholic Social Teaching.
Call To Action’s Letter to President Biden: Release Leonard Peltier Now!
Call To Action (CTA USA) is a Catholic organization committed to promoting the principles of Catholic Social Teaching initiated by the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII in 1891 (Rerum Novarum).
As faithful Catholics, we call on you to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier and allow him to return to his family. Leonard has been in prison for 45 years, convicted on questionable evidentiary and procedural circumstances. He is now 77 years old and suffering from various comorbidities, including the aftereffects of COVID-19. He should be returned to his people where he can receive adequate and compassionate care.
We understand that there are numerous petitions before you from a wide range of individuals and organizations which have outlined the details of Leonard’s case that justify the granting of clemency. Most recently, the Democratic National Committee unanimously endorsed a detailed petition for the granting of clemency to Leonard Peltier.
We understand that your administration is launching a historic investigation into the lasting social impacts — such as historical and intergenerational trauma — of the federal Indian boarding school system that separated Mr. Peltier from his family at a young age. The granting of clemency to Leonard at this time would seem to be in line with this effort to acknowledge and repair some of the harm done by the United States Government in the treatment of indigenous people.
Mr. President, you have the power, the responsibility, and the moral imperative based on your own faith tradition to free Leonard Peltier on compassionate grounds. It is up to you to do the right thing.
