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The relentless conspiracy

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against Leonard Peltier

Last month, the Leonard Peltier
Defence Committee issued an urg-
ent appeal for a letter campaign to
U.S. prison officials to try and pre-
vent the transfer of American In-
dian Movement leader Leonard
Peltier to the infamous “‘behavior
modification ” Control Unit at
Marion Prison. This article, which
originally appeared in the People’s
World, outlines the danger which
Peltier faces — and the conspiracy
against him. It has been abridged.
By CAROL FRANCES LIKINS

In a prison hospital room a year
ago, an inmate was promised by
the government that he would re-
ceive regular medical treatment for
his permanently injured back and
parole, along with the dropping of
seven charges against him, if he
agreed to help “‘neutralize’’ fellow
inmate, Leonard Peltier.

Who is Leonard Peltier — or
Gwarth-ee-Lass — that U.S. gov-
ernment should want him dead?

Peltier, a Chippewa-Sioux activ-
ist, is serving two life sentences for
convictions involving the 1977 FBI
invasion of the Pine Ridge reserva-
tion. Last December he was con-
victed of escape and possession of a
firearm. :

Both trials were carefully exe-
cuted coverups of criminal acts by
the government. The recent one
was a murder conspiracy, which
provoked Peltier into attempting to
escape from prison. j

It began last March. An Indian
inmate, Standing Deer, (known of-
ficially as Robert Hugh Wilson),
jay in his hospital bed inside Mar-
jon prison in Illinois. Though full-
blooded Oneida/Choctaw, he had
had, according to his own state-
ment, ‘‘all the Indian beaten out’’
of him by the time he was six. That
and the fact that permanent back
damage made him dependent on
the authorities for medical treat-
ment, must have made him seem a
failproof pawn. ;

But when Standing Deer met his
intended victim on the yard of
Marion prison, the government’s
conspiracy began to come undone.
In his statement, he said he listened
“sin awed reverence”’ as the activist
talked about spiritual and political
matters. :

Standing Deer said he asked
himself, ‘‘Would all the remaining
days of this man called Standing
Deer be worth a twinkling flash in
the life of this man whose love and
dedication to his people — my peo-
ple — was so intense, so pure, so
total?” :

So he told Peltier about the con-
spiracy. He said the head correc-
tion officer of Marion prison and
an unidentified man in plainclothes
had told him to gain Peltier’s con-
fidence, encourage him to escape,
supply him with guns that would
fail to function, and let the guards
shoot him at the wall. If Peltier
were to refuse the escape idea,
Standing Deer was to kill him him-
self. gee

Peltier told his new friend to pre-
tend to go along with the plan, for
the sake of both of them.

Standing Deer kept him inform-
ed on new developments as they
happened: how seven felony
charges were actually dropped as
promised, how Peltier and then
Standing Deer were to be transfer-
red to the less-secure Lompoc
Prison in California, where the
“escape’’ could be more believably
staged, and how the government
would be sending in a fellow assas-
sin to assist him.

Eight months later, a man nam-
ed Charles Richards turned up as
an inmate in Peltier’s section of
Lompoc prison and pretended to
befriend Peltier. It became clear
that the trap was closing in. Stand-
ing Deer was at Leavenworth pri-
son awaiting transfer to Lompoc.

It was clear to Peltier that an at-
tempt on his life would be made
whether he remained in prison or
tried to escape. He decided on an
escape attempt on a day and with
methods not expected by prison au-
thorities.

Two other Indians at Lompoc
prison, Bobby Gene Garcia and
Dallas Thunder Shield, tried to as-
sist Peltier’s escape to freedom on
that night of July 20. Garcia had
tried to talk 21-year-old Thunder
Shield out of getting involved, be-
cause he was so young and his sent-
ence was near completion. But
Thunder Shield was determined.

Roque Duenas, another Native

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American Indian activist, waited
outside.

But the plan didn’t work. Once
over the wall, they found them-
selves surrounded by guards. Dal-
las Thunder Shield raised his hands
and tried to turn himself in. As he
did so, he was shot dead.

Hearing the shots and séeing
Thunder Shield drop, Bobby Gar-
cia stood up in his grassy hiding
place and called out to the guards.
He was re-arrested, along with
Duenas.

Somehow, Peltier got away.
Five days later, he was re-appre-
hended.

The Peltier-Garcia-Duenas trial
began in Los Angeles federal courts
on Nov. 14. Outside the court-
room, the government fought
against the support movement or-
ganized by the Leonard Peltier De-
fence Committee.

Inside the courtroom, Judge
Lawrence Lydick barred the de-
fence from mentioning anything
about the murder conspiracy as the
motivation for the escape. He had
initially granted Peltier “duress
and coercion”’ as a basis for his de-
fence, but then revoked it. The
judge admitted that Peltier had had
a “‘well-grounded fear” for his life,
but claimed Peltier had failed to
meet the requirements of the “‘dur-
ess and coercion”’ law.

This law permits an inmate to
escape when his or her life is threat-
ened, providing that-he or she had
reported the threat to authorities
and got no action, and providing he
or she turns him or herself in im-
mediately after the escape.

_ Defence attorney Bruce Ellison
asked to whom Peltier could have
reported threats by top prison of-
ficials and other federal agents.

The trial lasted barely over a

month. The prosecution’s case was

filled with conflicts.

Peltier’s defence took two-and-
a-half days. Standing Deer was
presented as a character witness
and he, Peltier, and Garcia were
compelled to blurt out relevant in-
formation about the conspiracy be-
fore the questions could be object-
ed and sustained. Lydick displayed
his anger openly. Defence attorney
Lew Gurwitz now has a contempt
of court charge standing against

Ellison’s opening statement was
made before Lydick revoked the
“duress and coercion’’ defence,
and he had been able to speak to the
jury extensively about the evidence
they should expect to hear about
the conspiracy.

What the jury heard instead,
however, was hours of prosecution
objections, most of them sustained
by Lydick, to nearly every question
asked.

When the trial ended earlier this
month the jury acquitted Peltier,
Garcia and Duenas of all assault
and conspiracy charges, but con-
victed Peltier and Garcia of escape
and Peltier of a felon in possession
of a firearm.

The convictions could mean five
more years for Garcia and seven
for Peltier — in addition to the life
sentences both are serving now.

Vote shows PF support

Continued from page 1
streets. Jongwe, the cock is ZANU
(PF)’s symbol and groups of peo-
ple were swinging live cocks around
and shouting slogans.”

(Bryan Haddon, one of the

~ NGO team, is to address a public

meeting in Vancouver, March 21, 8
p.m. in the Vancouver City College
Auditorium, Langara.)

The team said that the mood
among the whites who, two weeks
earlier had given all 20 white-allo-

_cated seats to Ian Smith’s Rhodes-

ian Front, was more difficult to
assess.

“There is stunned disbelief at the
extensive support for ZANU (PF),
anxiousness and a wait-and-see at-
titude,’”’ the NGO team comment-
ed. ‘‘One journalist said this morn-
ing that by 10 this morning, 6,000
had reservations on planes out.

“But,”’ they added, ‘“‘at this
stage there is no sign yet of a major
exodus and speculations of a mili-
tary coup have subsided.”’

The white reaction and the con-
tinuing possibility of covert mili-
tary action by the former regime
have underscored the difficulties
faced by the Patriotic Front before

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the election — and the problems it
may face later. ;

On the eve of the elections, the
African Group at the United Na-
tions warned that the British were
creating a renewed tension in Zim-
babwe and urged the international
community to watch the situation
closely.

The group stated: ‘“The admin-
istering power (Britain) has, on nu-
merous occasions and with impun-.
ity violated the terms of the Lan-
caster House Agreement. These vi-
olations can be seen in the presence
of South African forces and mer-
cenaries in Southern Rhodesia in
spite of Security Council resolution
460(1979) and 463(1980); the con-
tinuous use and deployment of
auxiliary forces to harass and in-
timidate the Patriotic Front sup-
porters; the extension of martial
law and emergency regulations; the
continued and intensified threats
and assassination attempts against
the Patriotic Front leaders and sup-
porters; the persistent biased treat-
ment of the Patriotic Front; and
the clearly demonstrated favorit-
ism of the British governor for the
Muzorewa clique.’’

With a Patriotic Front govern-
ment now areality, Zimbabwe also
faces the imminent possibility of
military intervention from South
Africa which has frequently declar-
ed that it has the “‘right’’ to inter-

venein Zimbabwe. The vote results -

will also be a powerful impetus to
the liberation movement in South
Africa.

A major focus for the new gov-
ernment will be the resettlement of

' themorethan one million refugees,

driven into exile by the racist regime
of Ian Smith.

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MARCH 9 — Celebrate Interna-
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ning, 8 p.m., Britannia Centre the-
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ration of women’s struggles.
Speaker, international bake sale.
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MARCH 9 — Norman Bethune ser-
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MARCH 14 — YCL volleyball, Lord
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MARCH 15 — To all members and
friends of the Surrey Alternative
Movement (SAM), you are cordially
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evening of fun at the Newton Com-
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ton, Surrey at 6:30 p.m. Adm. $3.
All welcome. :

‘MARCH 16 — AUUC will present
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the Ukrainian Cultural Centre, 805
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Displays of books, photos, Ukrain-
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MARCH 16 — Norman Bethune
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Afghanistan” with Sean Griffin,
Britannia Centre, Rms. L5 & L6
above the library, 1661 Napier St.,
Van. at8p.m.

MARCH 16 — Norman Bethune
series in Surrey. Organized Labor
After the Federal Election with
George Hewison, Douglas College,
Rm. 406, 9260-140th St., Surrey at
7:30 p.m. ?

MARCH 29 — Keep this date open
for annual Mac-Pap celebration.

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 7, 1980—Page 11