NDN Collective marches for the freedom of Leonard Peltier
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Thursday, June 27, NDN Collective organized a march to free Leonard Peltier from what they feel is unjust incarceration.
Peltier was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two FBI agents in 1975. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and he’s waiting on a decision about his parole from the US Parole Commission.
His parole hearing was on June 10, so the final say about his case will come 21 days later.
The march started with a caravan of cars decorated with flags and signs. Marchers then gathered for speeches, and finally, they unfolded a banner that read “President Biden: Free Leonard Peltier now”.
CEO and President of NDN Collective, Nick Tilsen spoke with Peltier Thursday morning and says Peltier doesn’t have high hopes for the decision.
“He’s strong in the sense that fight in him to fight for his freedom and the fight for the people but his health is deteriorating in maximum security prison where he’s not getting the proper medical attention that he’s getting. He doesn’t have a whole lot of faith in the process, particularly in the U.S. Parole Commission,” Tilsen said.
This isn’t the first time Peltier has applied for clemency. President Barack Obama denied Peltier’s application in 2017. Peltier has applied for parole and clemency a handful of times throughout his imprisonment.
“It’s important because this struggle has been going on for 49 years,” Tilsen explained, “that’s almost five decades, and part of what these events do is they remind the public.”
Tilsen emphasized that people in the community do care about what happens in Peltier’s case.
“The FBI wrote a letter that said ‘Indian Country is not concerned about Leonard Peltier’,” he explained, “when in reality it’s a vast majority of all of Indian Country who advocates for Leonard Peltier.”
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