And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: "LPDC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Speech addresses imprisonment of Leonard Peltier story in Kansan Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 10:48:23 -0500 Speech addresses imprisonment of Leonard Peltier By Dan Curry Kansan staff writer Iron bars in the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary keep Leonard Peltier from his freedom, but they could not prevent the former first lady of France from meeting with him Friday morning. �He spoke very little of himself,� Danielle Mitterrand reported Friday afternoon to about 200 people at the Haskell Indian Nations University Auditorium. �He spoke of his family, of his community and of the life of Native Americans in the United States, and how little by little they have been obliged to give up their culture.� Speaking through a translator, Mitterrand pledged her support for Peltier�s freedom. �I don�t think we have to sit and wait without doing anything,� she said. �The French have become very mobilized around Leonard Peltier�s problem. We have people that are militants that have found out how to make the situation known. There are demonstrations. There are exhibits.� Mitterrand visited Peltier at the request of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, which has its headquarters in Lawrence. Peltier is serving two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of two FBI agents in a 1975 shootout at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Four men were arrested and accused of murder. Only Peltier, who has maintained his innocence from day one, was convicted. Peltier and his supporters, who include former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, believe that he is a political prisoner. Mitterrand had spoken with U.S. Justice Department officials on Peltier�s behalf. The result had been discouraging. �We left very frustrated,� Mitterrand said. �They listened to us, but they did not give us answers.� Mitterrand said she would continue to fight on Peltier�s behalf, now that his face was imprinted in her mind. �There is a resistance stronger than genocide. Stronger than violence. Stronger than misery,� she said. �In his cause we see that today.� Alex and Cyrus Peltier, grandchildren of Leonard Peltier, presented Mitterrand with a shawl. The New Dawn Dancers, danced the sneak-up dance. Cornel Pewewardy, assistant professor of teaching and leadership, played a song on the cane flute. Although it was good to hear Mitterrand speak about Peltier, Raven Heavy Runner, president of First Nations Student Association, said it was ironic that it took foreign dignitaries to bring attention to Peltier�s plight. �People in other countries know more about what�s going on here than we do,� he said. Mitterrand�s visit was sponsored by the LPDC, Haskell, FNSA, Food Not Bombs and several KU professors. Edited by Steph Brewer Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774
