After three hours, a jury finds defendentd guilty as charged on, 2 indictments: interfering with postal inspectors at Wounded Knee and theft of weapons, which carries a maximum 13 year conviction. Many observers were surprised, as they viewed government's case as weak. Defendant Carter Camp said that it was not a surprise, that they're dealing with a fascist court. "Just because they found us guilty don't mean that we're gonna stop in the struggle, will only add more fuel to the fire of revolution in this country because it's gonna have to come now. This is gonna make Indian people struggle a lot harder. We can struggle in the prison just as well as we can struggle on a street, we're never gonna quit. The fight's just started. [We] will continue fighting no matter what this judge does. This verdict doesn't make any difference, it's only gonna encourage our people to fight harder, and show that there is no justice in this system."
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KEVIN MCKIERNAN: The jury took only three hours to deliberate, and in the end, the verdict was guilty as charged for each defendant. There were two indictments, interfering with the four postal inspectors captured in Wounded Knee, and secondly, theft of a weapon from one of the captives. The defendants sat motionless as the verdict, which carries a maximum 13-year conviction, was read. But others in the packed, tightly-secured courtroom openly wept at the decision.
It came as a surprise to many observers who viewed the government's case as weak, insofar as overall it indicated more that the defendants were co-leaders of the occupation than they were active participants in capturing and robbing the postal inspectors. But the government relied heavily, and it turned out successfully, on the theory that the defendants' presence in and about the location of the detention of the inspectors constituted aiding and abetting in the charged offenses. Outside the courthouse, defendant Carter Camp reacted to the guilty verdict.
CARTER CAMP: The fact is, we were tried by a fascist judge and a fascist court, and we knew that before. And I told you guys at noon, no matter what the hell the verdict was, we knew what kind of court and what kind of judge we were dealing with. This don't come as any kind of a surprise. At the same time, I want to warn this government, and this government that's ruling our people, that we haven't stopped yet. Just because they found us guilty of these charges don't mean that we're going to stop in the struggle. And this is only going to add more fire, more fuel to the fire, of revolution in this country because it's going to have to come now.
This is going to make Indian people struggle a lot harder. We can struggle in the prisons just as well as we can struggle on the street. And we're never going to quit. We might see some more struggles right here in Cedar Rapids before we leave this town. We might sensitize this goddamn town. We might have to sensitize this judge before he has any chance to make any goddamn kind of motion.
It's nothing that we didn't expect. And the fight's just started. You're not going to have a happy birthday in 1976. And aim guarantees that you're not going to have a happy birthday in 1976. The fight has just started. We're going to continue fighting. And no matter what this judge does, this verdict just doesn't make any difference. And it's only going to encourage our people to fight harder and show that there is no justice in this system.
KEVIN MCKIERNAN: Defendant Carter Camp. Medicine Man Crow Dog, also a defendant in the case, said that the government was the true criminal for its slaying of Indians at Wounded Knee. Defendant Stanley Holder said an appeal would be filed. And he told reporters the defendants were now returning to their outdoor camp outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for spiritual ceremonies, which will take place this evening. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this is Kevin McKiernan.