37 Years and Still Waiting for so-called American Justice

This is the story of Native American Activist Leonard Peltier. In the mid 1970's he was accused of murdering two FBI agents who were searching the Native American reservation where he was residing. Numerous doubts surround the series of events that took place next, but the result was 2 FBI agents dead and charges pointing at Peltier.

Where does the rights part come into this? Right in the evidence that convicted him. The car that allegedly shot at the FBI agents was described by multiple witnesses as being a red truck, while Peltier drove a station wagon not of that color. Three people who testified against Peltier later said that the FBI tied them to chairs and coerced them to make certain statements. The jury wasn't allowed to hear that there were other cases in which the FBI tampered with witnesses. The gun allegedly used by Peltier didn't match up with the bullet casings found at the scene of the crime. Even the Parole Commission now states that there is a lack of any evidence of Peltier contributing to the murders.

The 37th anniversary of Peltier's conviction recently passed us by. For most of you, it probably came and went as it always had; without a thought. I know you're asking why you should care about someone who lives far away and has no ties to you. Well, the thing is, Peltier represents more than just one person. He represents the nationwide indigenous struggle for rights and respect. In a nation that prides itself on its judicial system, how can we let this stand? Numerous Presidents have come and gone and not pardoned him, while at the same time pardoning men who have done much worse deeds, considering that to many, Peltier never did anything wrong. People always say that something is only as strong as its weakest link. This too is true for our justice system. It is only as credible and just as its most unjust case.

Like I said, Peltier is a symbol to many of the fight for Native American rights. There are some out there who claim that if he was a white man, for instance, that this never would have happened because more people would care enough to bring more attention to this injustice. I cannot measure the truth to that claim, but I can state that more can be done to help him. I could say things like "pretend your in his shoes" or "pretend that was your father it had happened to" and sure, those things would resonate with you briefly, but then fade into the background of our busy days.

Instead, I challenge you to take the initiative to do some research of your own on this case. Learn more about it and converse about it with your friends and family. Enlightened discourse like that is how you spread the word of injustices like this. This is something that should matter to all of us. This is our justice system. These are our civil rights and liberties. Equal protection of the law is deserved by everyone in these United States. Think about how this story motivates you to ensure that injustices like these cease to occur going forward.