------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Dec. 5, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
Ona Move! IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE Hundreds of Native people and their supporters, led by United American Indians of New England, gather in Plymouth, Mass., each "Thanksgiving Day" to hear Native people present the truth about their history and the conditions faced by Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. The event began in 1970, when Native people seized the Mayflower replica in Plymouth Harbor and buried Plymouth Rock. The call for last year's event, sponsored by the United American Indians of New England (UAINE), explained: "Since 1970, Native Americans have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the U.S. 'thanksgiving' holiday. . . . To them, 'thanksgiving' day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture." One renowned prisoner in this war of capitalist conquest is American Indian Movement warrior Leonard Peltier. He is serving two consecutive life sentences for the killing of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation despite the fact that government officials admit they don't know who shot the agents. In acts of solidarity over the years, Peltier from his prison cell has taken up his pen in defense of African American death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, and Abu-Jamal has written to rally support for this Native political prisoner. _______________ MESSAGE OF THANKS TO LEONARD PELTIER & THE LPDC Mumia Abu-Jamal sent the following message to Native political prisoner Leonard Peltier and his defense committee on Jan. 21, 1999. Ona Move! We, all of us, give solid thanks to Leonard Peltier and his numerous supporters worldwide, for the principled assistance in France recently. I deeply appreciate it--we ALL do. Many years ago, when I was doing radio commentary for several Philadelphia college stations, I frequently received taped reports from communications people from AIM (American Indian Movement) and promptly reported such information to my audience. What I learned was that the U.S. government was waging a vicious and unrelenting war against Native people. It was a phase in that war that an innocent Lakota activist, Leonard Peltier, was dogged by this government and framed for murder. For almost a quarter of a century this kind and gentle warrior, this artist, this son of his people, has withstood the brutal assaults of the U.S. government, against its own "law," its own Constitution, its own precedent. On Feb. 6, 1999, the calendar will strike 23 long and lonely years in U.S. gulags for Leonard Peltier. Twenty-three years since an overtly illegal extradition from Canada to the U.S. Twenty-three years in a Yankee Iron Cage for the "crime" of resisting American repression. As we enter a new century, it is past time for us to correct this vile injustice against Leonard Peltier. Let a new century begin with an act of justice for the Oglala people. Free Leonard Peltier! Free the MOVE 9! Long Live John Africa! In the Spirit of Nat Turner and Crazy Horse! Ona Move! ________________ LEONARD PELTIER: SOLIDARITY WITH MUMIA Peltier sent the following statement this year to a Nov. 2 demonstration in Philadelphia that demanded freedom for death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Greetings, Brothers & Sisters: I stand in solidarity with you today in support of my brother Mumia Abu-Jamal's immediate release. The price that Mumia & I & other political prisoners are paying is the result of the colonial & racist policies of the U.S. government & multinational corporations. They target & prosecute those who would dare speak out against their oppressive & genocidal policies. We are well aware of the hypocrisy of a society that claims liberty & justice for all, yet disregards its own laws & ideals to consolidate power in the hands of a few. The death penalty does not serve any purpose other than that of taking another life. Far too many have already been put to death who were not guilty of anything. The death penalty is not a deterrent & does not stop crime. That the death penalty is racist is also well known. Murder is murder whether committed by the state or an individual. We must stand together & learn to work alongside one another, against the oppression forced on us by our government. The struggle for justice & freedom must go on. The struggle to save Mumia's life & to expose the plight of all political prisoners must continue. Do not let them take Mumia's life! Again, I stand in solidarity with this struggle. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Leonard Peltier - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
