From: "LPDC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 17:38:26 -0500 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Letters to the Editor Week - Peltier REMINDER: JUNE 9-15 IS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WEEK IN SUPPORT OF LEONARD PELTIER AWARNESS MONTH! Dear Friends, Below is a new sample letter to the editor for next week's awareness effort. Many of the last letters you submitted did get printed, so the word is getting out and our new campaign is picking up pace. This letter takes a new angle - so hopefully the papers will find it of interest. As always, you can personalize this letter, write your own, or use the text below. Again, check your local paper's word limit for letters to the editor before sending yours in. The sample letter is 300 words. If your letter is printed, please send us the clipping for our files. Thank you! In Solidarity, LPDC SAMPLE: LETTER TO THE EDITOR Little Attention Given to People of Color Victimized by FBI Misconduct Recent disclosures of FBI misconduct have justifiably prompted significant outcry from the public. However, few acknowledge those who have probably been most affected. In the 60's and 70's the FBI sought to destroy many civil rights organizations and leaders committed to uplifting their communities. Activists of color were commonly targeted for undue criminal prosecution during that era and many still languish unjustly in prison today. One of the most daunting examples is the case of Leonard Peltier, the American Indian Movement leader who has spent 25 years in prison following his controversial conviction for the murder of two FBI agents. The agents and one Native man were killed in a shoot-out on the Pine Ridge Reservation which occurred during a three year period of brutal conflict. During that time, the FBI maintained a large presence on the reservation, but did nothing to stop the violence. Instead, they collaborated with vigilantes who killed over 60 AIM members and supporters. Peltier, long under surveillance by the FBI, was unfairly targeted for conviction. Despite vast evidence against several other suspects, the FBI chose to "put the full prosecutive weight of the US government against Peltier." The FBI withheld over 18,000 documents during trial, coerced witnesses and manufactured evidence to gain his conviction. 6,000 FBI documents remain secret today. The government now admits they do not know who killed the agents, yet Peltier remains behind bars, a symbol of US repression against Indigenous Peoples. (www.freepeltier.org) By locking up civil rights leaders and subverting their organizations, the FBI has hampered positive change for communities of color. We must prevent such abuses from continuing. If we do not, the road to true racial justice will be very long. Name Address Phone # e-mail (contact information not for print) Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 www.freepeltier.org _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
