AIM leader Russell Means speaks in Moorhead on the Wounded Knee occupation and recent Pine Ridge election, of which he lost to Richard Wilson. He says Wilson committed election violations, and will ask federal court to order a new election. When asked to comment on his trial now underway in St. Paul for his part in the Wounded Knee occupation, Means says he has confidence in the jury to get a fair trial, but is worried about the judge, who claims to be a liberal from South Dakota. Means says: "To be a liberal in South Dakota is just a bit left of the John Birch Society".
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DENNIS HAMILTON: American Indian Movement leader Russell Means spoke in Moorhead last night. He talked primarily about the Wounded Knee occupation of last year. He also addressed the recent Pine Ridge tribal elections, which he lost to Richard Wilson.
RUSSELL MEANS: We have over 40 signed affidavits that have been notarized, are citing nine specific violations by Dickey Wilson in the tribal election. Some of the charges, including bribery of white ranchers and white women voting, harassment and intimidation by Bureau of Indian Affairs police, illegalities by the judges, and the precinct watchers poll watchers themselves, and various other types of violations.
This week, we have asked-- we got the federal court to impound all the ballots and affidavits and everything concerning the election. They impounded those and we got to stay on that. And then we added some more evidence on it. And next week, we're going to ask the federal court to order a new election.
And it looks very promising, according to my lawyers and according to ACLU and the US Commission on Civil rights that a new election will be ordered within the next 30 days.
DENNIS HAMILTON: Concerning his trial now in progress in St. Paul, Means had this to say.
RUSSELL MEANS: I have confidence in the jury and in terms of receiving a fair trial. But what I'm afraid of is the judge. He's from South Dakota number one. He claims to be a liberal from South Dakota. But to be a liberal in South Dakota is just a little bit left of the John Birch Society.
[APPLAUSE]
At any rate, he's the one that's ultimately going to decide whether our treaty gets put into evidence or not. And that's our whole defense, is our treaty rights, is that it was illegal for the US Marshals and the FBI to be on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the first place because they were there before we got there.
The Marshals had been in on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for two weeks prior to our getting there and they were there illegally. They were not requested in by the Oglala people, you see. And the treaty rights specifically state that. And we all during the whole course, even before we went into Wounded Knee, we adhered to the provisions of the 1868 treaty and of course, all during the negotiations.
So they can't nail us for breaking the treaty. They in fact did. And that's our whole defense. And if the judge decides not to let in our treaty, then get out on appeal, bond, and split.
DENNIS HAMILTON: The jury for Means trial is composed of 11 whites and one Chicano. Means was asked how he could have confidence in a jury with no Indian members.
RUSSELL MEANS: Well, one thing is that they're completely ignorant of the American Indian in any way, shape, or form. Another thing, it's a young jury and it's a Christian jury and a devout jury. All those factors combined with our investigation, our pre-trial, and of course, during the voir dire and the interrogation of the prospective jurors, our investigations of those jurors have led me to the conclusion, at least, that it's possible to get a fair trial from the jury.
DENNIS HAMILTON: American Indian Movement leader Russell Means is now on trial in St. Paul for his role in the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation. Speaking last night in Moorhead, this is Dennis Hamilton.