Highlights of the Minnesota Citizens' Review Commission on the FBI hearings: Part 3 - John Trudell testimony

Programs | Midday | Topics | Politics | Types | Reports | Interviews | Grants | Legacy Amendment Digitization (2018-2019) | Social Issue | Law | Special Collections | Highlights of the Minnesota Citizens' Review Commission on the FBI hearings |
Listen: 25777.wav
0:00

John Trudell testimony from recent hearings held by the Minnesota Citizens' Review Commission on the FBI. The commission, a coalition of some 20 Minnesota organizations put together an independent hearing panel including DFL chairpersons Rick Scott and Ruth Caine. Union leaders, representatives of church and community groups as well as private citizens also participated. The panel took testimony on alleged FBI abuses in the area supervised by the Minneapolis office - Minnesota and the Dakotas. Much of the testimony centered around alleged FBI violations on South Dakota Indian reservations. One whole day was devoted to testimony concerning the Pine Ridge shootout in June 1975. The shootings resulted in the deaths of two FBI agents and one Indian, Joe Stuntz. No one has yet been charged with Stuntz's death. Two Indians, Dino Butler and Robert Robideau, were charged with the murder of the FBI agents, but they were acquitted last fall. One other man charged was never indicted for lack of evidence, and another, Leonard Peltier, will go on trial in Fargo, North Dakota this month.

Read the Text Transcription of the Audio.

The commission conducted four days of hearings into alleged FBI abuse has focusing on FBI activity on South Dakota Indian reservations in area which comes under the jurisdiction of the Minneapolis FBI area of the national chairman of the American Indian movement. John trudell wrapped up the conference today at midday. We present his speech. I want to go back to the Fort Laramie treaty. Because we've heard of the conduct of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We from the American Indian movement. We believe that its continuation of America's land grabbing process from Native American people. I'm going to read some stuff. It's from a book called Crazy Horse and Custer was written by a man by the name of Ambrose. I believe and he wrote it as a bicentennial project and he spent for 5 years. And it's the way he has written the book. It's a tell the story of these two men as they were growing up their respective societies. He is not too accurate about hours. But then is he writing about White Society needs a part of it and he has a lot of credibility and faith in their records. I'm sure he's giving a more accurate picture of them. He want to talk about war. Back East meanwhile, the politicians were Furious a senator from Missouri pointed out that the war is now costing daily at least $150,000 and if it lasts through the summer and at the present rate it certainly will do that. It will cost us 100 million dollars without having accomplished anything. The railroad railroad Builders were just as angry. The cheyennes had derailed a train on the Union Pacific Line and thereby obtained vast quantities of supplies. Although this was the first time the hostiles had thought to make a train to Target of an attack the railroad men knew how vulnerable they were to such actions and they told Sherman they were to build they would build no further until I could guarantee. Peace. And then some generation Congress. However had no faith left in the Army ignoring a more active War it instead July 20th, 1867 provide a Peace Commission to meet with the Plains Indians and see what could be done about negotiating an end to that war. In order to take some of the sting out of the Army's objections to this policy Congress required that four of the seven Commissioners be army officers. Sherman himself was one of them along with old General Harney the pre-civil war Indian fighter. Sherman agreed to serve because you really had no choice further. He was beginning to see a way out of his difficulties one. That would not bring any glory to his beloved Army. But which would accomplish the main objective. But Sherman realized was that the coming of the railroad to the planes would eventually mean an end to the Indians way of life the advancing railroad brought settlement with it and the settlers would crowd the Indians out. more immediately important railroad open the country to the Buffalo Hunters Eastern Tanners were developing methods of curing Buffalo hides and making them into acceptable coats in robes. There was a huge potential market for the hides as a railroad reached even deeper into the Buffalo country Hunters would reduce the herds then ship the hides East by that system to Hertz could be eliminated in a decade or less and without the heard the engines would have to go to reservations or starve. It would be in shortly campaign with the enemy's resource is not the enemy himself as the target. It was very important to them that they get that Pacific Union Pacific Railroad built across Kansas is extremely important to them. was manifest destiny during the preceding whether the Army had decided it would have to abandon its Hardware on positions on the Bozeman Trail. Its reasons were manifold first Sherman wanted to launch an extensive Search and Destroy campaign in Kansas in the coming summer and he badly needed the contribution of the Regiment of Entry station on the Bozeman Trail the total strength of the United States. Army was around 55,000 but more than half these troops were on occupation Duty in the former Confederate states by significant portion of the rest were on West Grand Coastal Duty defense Duty the troops at Fort Reno Phil Kearny and CF Smith represented more than 10% of Sherman's total Frontier Force. They were totally wasted as they could neither Garden immigrants or attack Indians. Because at that point redcloud at effectively put a blockade around them and they were stuck inside their forts. They could go nowhere. Despite these obvious facts army officers officers generally were supposed to abandon the forts. Dad paid a terrible price in blood to establish them in abject surrender hurt their pride. Troy Mann the expected to have to fight the Sioux again the idea that the plains of Wyoming and Montana would be left of savages for any length of time was inconceivable. Sooner rather than later the Indians would have to be driven onto reservations. And when the time came to settle the score with the Powder River hostels, the forts would be invaluable as bases of operation. Most of all the forts represented a threat to the zoo and there was no point in a banding then abandoning them without getting something in return. Truman took all these conditions into account. Is he prepared in the spring of 1868 to resume his peacemaking role on the Peace Commission. He needed troops for Kansas. He had to shut up Congressional critics who are Nat who asking embarrassing questions about the cost-effectiveness of the Powder River War? He needed to get to sue to agree to something in order and return for a bit for abandoning the ports. He needed to maintain Army morale. He met all of these objectives in the peace treaty of 1868. It had been explained earlier in the hearings that in 1877 Congress passed the so-called agreement of 1876, which overruled the treaty provision that three-fourths of all white adult male Sue had to sign an agreement in order to seed reservation land government attempts to get ahold of the reservation land in this. Culminated in the battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 in his speech to tell talked about some of the reasons why the 1868 treaty was ignored by the American government key issue 4 current American Indian movement activities since and supports Tribal Council attempts to bring about a new enforcement of the 1868 treaty to get the oglalas and other hospitals would move on move to an agency on the, Missouri River. Or would stay on the Powder River the whole point to the treaty had been to keep the wild Indians away from the Platte and dust away from the Union Pacific Railroad. The government's orders there for where that there could be. No trading along the North Platte making matters worse to Traders could not load up the wagon to go to the Powder River to trade from his attitude with simple if the Indians wanted white man's goods and let them move the reservations and then insisted on living the wildlife and let them do so without any help from the whites. The government was especially insistent that none of the Powder River Indians get their hands on firearms because from it on down the attitude of the army officers was at the Treaty of 1868 was a truce. Naughty Peachtree has Charmin put it. We all know that the time approaches for the battle that is to decide whether they or the United States are sovereign in the land. They occupy then it would be the worst sort of foolishness to give arms the future enemies. The Indians felt they had been lied to. Panic of 1873 in the Black Hills expedition of 1874 America never seen anything like it there had been ups and downs in the economy before the Civil War but the slumps were relatively short and comparatively mild. Beside free war America was overwhelmingly Rural and us more or less immune to the crushing effects of an economic depression by 1873. The country was more urbanized more industrialized and therefore more vulnerable. It was also on prepared for anybody conomic news on September 18th, 1873 the banking House of Jay Cooke failed other firms quickly followed including the company of the father of George bird Grinnell rental, which had been involved in the manipulation of huge amounts of stock. The crash came out of a clear sky Trusted officers of Banks and corporations disappeared with the money of the institutions the stock market promptly fell to Pieces prices dropped almost to nothing in the stock exchange to put a period to the ruined its impending closed its doors all of this confused and frightened the American people who already understood what was happening to them. The reaction is best summed up in the name. They gave to this depression which lasted from 1873 to 1877 as they called it the Panic of 1873. The whole country not just the stock market was indeed in a state of panic Farm prices plummeted. One of the most worst grasshopper plagues in history sweat from the Midwest in the Great Plains when flying insects black and blue sky when resting or feeding that were sometimes two or three feet thick on the ground and epidemic of yellow fever struck the Missouri, Mississippi Valley in the cities means while they're 1 million or more on employee nearly 20% of the non-farm working force. And any day when there was no Public Relief available anywhere? All the farmers could not meet their cost because of falling crop prices food prices at the city grocery stores dropped only by 5% for factory wages for those lucky enough to hold on to a job or down 25% and more. There were more people in jail than ever before in the nation's history. But crime continue nevertheless and unprecedented rates traps where everywhere wandering the land wondering what to do, but it happened to them into their Nation worse. The nation's leaders had no idea had what what had gone wrong. It was cruel and heartless the Smashing of the American dream because it was so unexpected and so unexplainable. Set the political and economic leaders cannot explain what it causes depression. They could hardly come up with any solutions normally confident boastful swaggering these men had held to the doctrine of continual progress as to holy writ. Now their faith was destroyed and they knew not where to look to find another they were curious make mixture these leaders of the Gilded Age Innovative and dynamic in the business World. They had stretch the limits of what was possible in every direction, but for all the changes they had brought their political views remain stuck in the 18th century. The government's role in the economy as they thought was to pour money into industry vsh means is land grants in direct bonus payments to the railroads, but otherwise to keep hands off the nation's leaders would not provide unemployment relief for welfare for they were as hidebound about the functions of government as they were Innovative about business. I'm trying to understand what had brought on the depression to leaders tended to put the blame on a lack of circulating money. President Grant that limited the number of greenbacks which had the effect of putting the country on a gold standard which was exactly where the most conservative an influential Economist of the. Wanted it to be But in an expanding economy, the gold Supply was insufficient Farmers groups in labor unions wanted to expand the amount of paper money in circulation, but such a course seems wrong to the men in power who would have waited to the gold standard and we thought the issuance of paper money dangerously radical still a powerful wanted more money to in order to finance the rebuilding of the Economy Inn to get the boom going again and President Grant and his advisors did want the government to do something about the situation provides some hope for the trammps get the country back to normal. The solution to the problem is the administration saw it lay an opening new territories 4X exploration. Physical expansion had solved America's problems before and do it again and effects grants relief program was to open new opportunities for the jobless and put more money into the economy through the development of new gold deposit. That is where customer came in. Once again. He became The Cutting Edge of the nation's expansion by conquering Sioux territory in discovering basketball deposits. He helped end the Depression and the nation was able to get back to normal without having to examine itself without having to change the existing cozy relationships between government and business in the process Custer added to his own Fame. United States like many nations has started its share of wars on trumped-up charges, but no no excuse ever given for the initiation of hostilities. Not the Mexican war not the Gulf of Tonkin was more absurd than the one given by General Sheridan for the commencement of the great Sioux War. With enthusiasm backing of his military and political superiors Sheridan decided in the spring of 1874 to send a column of troops into the Black Hills in order to establish a fort there. And although this reason was unacknowledged to find goal. This was a direct open unilateral violation of the Treaty of 1868. Sheridan said it had to be done because the sewer not living up to their agreements in the treaty. Specifically charged at the hospitals were still killing settlers in Nebraska and disrupting the railroads. Although the evidence is fragment or it seems clear that Sheridan exaggerated at best light at worst. The Indian agents were unanimous in the Judgment that the tribes were behaving. Well and Sheridan himself had a reported official in 1873 that the condition of Indian Affairs in the department of Dakota has been remarkably quiet. Bishop William H hair protested directly to Grant about the plan to March troops into the hills are said it would be a high-handed outrage and would forever tsali the order of the United States Democratic newspapers accuse Grant of instigating the marked as a way of diverting attention from the nation's problems. Washington ignored ignored the complaints and warnings and went ahead with its plans. Is George Hydro this proves that very strong influences were back of the project influences, which were willing to risk a Sioux war and carrying out their program. This violation of the treaty was deliberately planned and executed. The proposed Expedition received bass publicity everyone in the west. It seems was talking about it customer applied for and got command of the entire force. He was immediately besieged with applications from civilian adventurers who wanted to go along look for gold. The Black Hills to call United States government has taken at least 1.5 billion dollars worth of gold out of the Black Hills the home that just one mine the homestead mine 1974. They still were getting 40 million dollars a year of the largest gold producing mine on the Western Hemisphere. by their own records see everyone knows that they broke the tree. The Army put it they put their they put it out who's going to be Sovereign over that land. United States government 1868 1866 they signed a treaty they started the preparations and they signed a treaty. Say is that land belongs to the people who they signed it with? They have deliberately went out and violated that treaty they went out and they have broken it as old as they have broken every treaty they have ever signed with our people. When we talk about FBI, and we talked about all the things that have been talked about. We understand law. We understand your rationalizations in your definitions of law. We know that there are five kinds of law common law criminal law is constitutional law or statute law and there's treaty law. and before as Native American people before we will ever believe in the Constitutional law. Are the common law for the criminal law or the statute law? We want to see your government honor the treaty law. Because we believe that if one group of people are going to honor the laws and all groups of people must honor the law. And we believe that if a situation such as that does not exist. It is our feeling that a state of War does exist between the United States government and Native American people. It is our feeling that a state of War exists between the United States government and all the people on this land. But we will not ask you to believe what you do not choose to believe. I will ask you that you consider this. Constitution of the United States says that all American citizens will be recorded certain rights. It says it all citizens have certain freedoms. And if any governmental Agency infringes on your rights or those freedoms, did they do not consider you to be citizens because they said on paper they would treat their citizens a certain way. If they treat you different than the way they say on paper than they do not consider you to be their citizens. That is our interpretation. That's our understanding. We are very concerned. about this long War We'd look at Pine Ridge in the context of this FBI attack. Our concern goes back. Our concern goes way back to 1868. And it goes back prior than that, but we'll start from 68. That's when your nation made an agreement with our nation. And if average Americans can sit back and accept the rationalization while my ancestors did that and they died. So that really doesn't have to be honored anymore that it's meaningless. If you can sit back in your own good conscience and accept that as a rationalization for building, but you called to be a free Society. Can you have our sympathy? Because there's nothing else we can do about it other than to choose to live our life the way that we feel it should be lived and we will sympathize with you and your confusion. You look it up. We will not go away around the 1868 treaty. We will not go away from that. We are going to come back. We're going to continue to bring it up. We are going to continue to say it until someone lets it has been proven to us that the United States government has not listened. They do not care to listen now in a time of energy crisis. We understand what this government's up to. India has been saying the white man done it for 400 years. We know what we're talkin about. energy crisis in 1873. It was the railroads that could do what they wanted for manifest destiny. And now it's the oil companies. What's changed in 1873 they had women's suffrage in 1977. They got women's Liberation what's changed? They had hostile Indians and now they got militant ones. They had black trouble and now they got black militants. Daddy can Nami crisis they still have it Konami crisis. But yet all this trouble. I don't see the rich being affected by. These things that we have got to live with. We brought up a question of Madness some time back. We fail to understand. How you all can put the rich up on a pedestal? And admire them. When you see so many people who do not have enough, how can you admire a selfish person? That to us is what we call Madness. How can you allow these selfish people to label you Nelson Rockefeller and his Clique they turn around and they called the poor people lazy and they could do it if they wanted. Nelson Rockefeller doesn't he doesn't cookies own food and take care of his own kids. You didn't drive his own car and shine his own shoes. He always had someone else to do it for him. Besides his policies at Attica and his grandfather's policies at the Ludlow mine in, Colorado. So when they start these attacks against us we feel that they have attacked all of us. We feel that in today's generation. They're using the energy crisis. We feel you don't like when we was growing up. Think about it when it got cold outside man, you bundled up and you stayed as warm as you could and when they said it was 35 below zero. That's what it was. You went outside and you were you trying to be warm. And it was a lot of fuel in the cost of quarter gallon or a nickel a gallon $0.12 a gallon now, there's an energy crisis and when it gets cold, it gets 35 below and 70 with the wind chill factor and incidentally were jacking the price your oil up another dollar. And people can't cope. The people sit back and they allow these things continue to be done to them. We all know that they have worked hard to keep us divided racially. They both worked hard to keep us divided religiously. class we do not accept the theory that all of this ended in the 1800's. And that all the guys that are alive today or Nice Guys. Because we say too many bad things happening to too many good people. Do except that rationalization. Leonard Peltier is on trial because he understands what we're talking about. He's not on trial because he murdered any agents. He's on trial because he represented at higher a higher ideal of freedom. the fact that we are human beings I got to Julie big we have the right to live our lives and respect and with dignity. And anyone who will it interfere with our right to live with respect and dignity is our enemy. They are not looking out for our well-being. That's what Leonard Peltier believes. He believes that if it's necessary to be living in an armed camp with a gun in your hand protect your people then you have to do it. And I want you to understand the difference Leonard Peltier was never paid a dime the people in Oglala whenever they never received one dime for what they have been through. They have done it and many cases on heart and spirit alone. I need Federal mercenaries who attacked them they did it for money. And these are the same mercenaries that are someday going to attack your children for money. America is running out of places to expand their getting kicked out of Asia other getting kicked out of Africa. They're getting kicked out of all the land bases that they have been exploiting. This is an exploit if Society the whole principle of the nation is to exploit to eat to take advantage of the week. Well, they have got no place to go but the grid value is still here. the greatest does exist and these greedy people are going to continue to want more than they need, but they have no other land base to go to to get it. And you can sit back and you can we accept your rationalization and fifty years. There's no more Indians because we're going to fight to the death. Then there's no more Indians use all that experience all that practice at all that training. They got fighting us to the death to keep you all in line. And if you should dare to raise your head and speak out against them they will strike on you. And if you want to know how watch the World War 2 footage about the Nazis and just remember that the Nazis had limited technology. That's what we're talkin about. We're talking about moral issues of right? And a main issue of moral right is that there was a treaty made and there's never been an actor's been never been a legal agreement. It said 3/4 of the entire adult male population of the Sioux Nation had to agree to a change. And I'll tell you right now that it didn't happen dead and it'll never happen now. That means you all cannot change or side of the agreement. And now let's go back to Leonard. The fact that America would dare to take that man out of the community of Oglala dare to take him off the Pine Ridge Indian reservation and tell us and try to get us to believe that he's going to get a fair trial that is an insult to our intelligence. We are not stupid people. the Constitution of the United States that you all choose to live under says that a man would accuse a person when accused of a crime is entitled to a trial by their peers and they're entitled to a trial in the community community that they're accused of the crime in. Leonard Peltier has automatically be denied being denied both. Interesting. The government has made all these accusations about a game about the militant Indians on the reservation yet. They refuse to hold one of our trials there. But nobody's ever asked a question. Why? Leonard Peltier wants to be tried in Pine Ridge. And we want to know one valid reason why he can't be. What Indian courts aren't as good as white quartz? We don't understand fairness as well as the white people do. We won't be as objective as the government is. We cannot understand any reasons. No valid reasons. He's entitled to that trial there. We are the only people in this country if we are accused of a crime on our own tribal land and that primorac used up involves a non-indian. We are taking away from our homes and we are Tried by whites. And did I hear your politician say they're against what's going on in South Africa. There's got to be a change take place in America. It's got to come whether we wanted to or not. It is not something that we can close our eyes too, and it is not something that we can avoid. It's going to happen. The weather that changes going to be violent or where that change going to be nonviolent depends on your average American citizen. Because you have the power you have access to the resources to produce the social change that is needed and very non-violent terms. And when I talk about that change whether it's going to be violent or non-violent, I'm not threatening anybody in any way shape or form because the violence I'm talking about. You haven't seen any violence. It's all the white people start fighting amongst themselves. That day is coming. That's what a class war is all about. So I don't want you to turn around what I'm trying to say. I did not threaten anyone. And I did not intend it to be a threat. But we got to start dealing with certain basic reality. We've watched we've heard about the FBI. from our end of it We asked people to help for him a commission so we can talk about the FBI. Because for a 400 years we've been trying to find a way to get somebody sit down and listen somebody that had some sense and would be willing to use a little bit of Common Sense and logic and rationality. We've looked for 400 years. I hope. That we were successful here. That we don't have to go start looking again next week. We take that as time or people start speaking from the heart and tell him the truth. We think that it's time that we just start being human beings for a while. We get out of the role-playing. putting on fronts and images That's what makes the FBI able to work. We are human beings. We can't be more than one thing at a time. It's a physical impossibility. To be more than one thing at a time. You know, I'm a human being or I'm a liberal. But I'm not both. So you must understand. What we're talkin about our battle or struggle, I'll resistance whatever you wish to call it or anyone may wish to call him. When you do about later, don't you remember this? You know, they put Geronimo in prison for murder or something. Robbery Geronimo. They put him in prison for sale. He died down there in a fucking prison. The man that was fighting for his home in his landsea, but they called him a criminal and put him in prison and they never let him out because if they let him out they were they were too afraid of this man. But I never ever heard of him referred to as a political prisoner. Bob rabideau You've already is named. He's one of the defendants. Sitting in a jail in Kansas on a cointelpro operation set up. Leonard Peltier spending a year in jail. He had no bail set yet. You heard the story about Angie long visitor. And now they went snaps to the holders a material Witness. For Leonard's bail hearing, but did you know that later requested he withdrew his motion for a bail hearing. He said he'd rather not have the bail if it was going to be at the expense of someone else's Liberty. So you never even had a bail hearing. I need a damn FBI turns around see what we're holding her for his trial. I don't know what caliber of people you all associated with. I have an idea, but I don't know. But when I see a man who hasn't been out of a jail cell for the last year say what I don't want to bail hearing if they're going to go over here and start jacking this woman around. Do you have to start looking at what commitments all about? So we would hope I'm going to ask you directly. I know hope to it. We would like you to consider everything that you've heard. But we want as we want them cointelpro files opened up. We want them opened up against all of us, but we want that first book that first page it open. We want to open on a team. We paid the price. We are in the right to be the first one to have it opened up. There's too many dead people that can't be here now. We have faced the hardest attack of any movement in the last 20 years. Because we were living out in the country. And nobody could come to the rescue. But we survived. We want those files open. We understand the federal mentality. Diehl Butler told me he's already accepting his mind that he's going to die. They're going to die. Going to let him live. I made the acceptance in my mind. You can go so far before they quote neutralize you. We want those files. We have a right to know what's in them. Everybody that ever paid a dime to this system has a right to know what's in them. We want those files. We have a right to them. They have made the government makes their PR response that they're no longer actively engaged in that. You heard a alcohol firearms in treasury mansion. treasury tobacco if you don't learn how to deal with this FBI, everybody's going to be doing it. Let's go back to the concept. The American government guarantee that would treat its citizens in a certain way when it does not treat you in that way. It does not consider you to be a citizen. What's that makes a lot of sense? Download say that there is a rationalization that exist amongst the poor the powerful ruling class. And that's where their mentality is coming. They had to give the trammps a place to settle down and sitting here for people. At the FBI's allowed to get away with what they've even admitted to doing. Now. They're running point it toward the running point and when you go to war and you have someone run point if that point survives and the rest of the troops know they could come. Lpfb, I run point and if they are allowed to get away with what they're doing to everybody's going to be doing. You got enough people wearing badges as it is and they're already attacking the victims. Just on a matter of principle, you know, I don't know who killed those FBI agents. I could I don't care. But I think if I ever found out that they we should be giving them a metal instead of a criminal indictment went on to describe how I felt former President Nixon and other government officials used reports of an energy crisis as a diversion. Play I've been I was I was all over United States and I was watching people buy gas prices going up selected cities Media Center City. They just shut the gas off. Sorry about that even had a lot of gas after they watched people in Washington DC lineup for 2 hours to get a half a tank of gas. Manipulation they had them all sensitized. A while they were redistributing wealth in that way shape and form your ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War on the principle of no taxation without representation and it's being practiced right now, but they hide it under terms of inflation and recession and things you can understand. Call taxes. Do you understand this? There was a level of liberalism coming into America. They saw it. What did I wore demonstrations first started? They really believe that it was call me this money doing it. Enemy Central Intelligence units out there to start spying I found today. It's domestic box. The average American part of your fluency we give them enough money to buy all this consumerism. It's artificial things to make him think it's going to make them more human, but some of that money was flipping through it was it wasn't going to the TV said it was going over here. So you would need so they start laying out the plan law enforcement assistance act agency, whatever. It is created 1969. Start laying out the plan and that's why the police they started laying out the plan to have a redistribution of the wealth. And it started implementing the plan behind the Nixon while everybody's crybaby in about Nixon's constitutional rights and did he do it or didn't he do it? Why do I go get a tag doing the rest of them? They were effectively subverting the intent of your Constitution. And it is our firm belief. That we should not subject ourselves. We should not have to subject ourselves to allow and criminal people to try us. is our firm belief Is Indian people within our own land? That is a hypocrisy and it is a joke. The drag us off our reservations and put us into courts like they're attempting to do the letter like they did the Dino and Bobby. Man that was stolen from us and then you put a building on it and call it a Hall of Justice. I want to talk about the land the building's on. Before you all to talk to us about what Justice is. Anyway, we want those cointelpro files. If you remember nothing else that you ever heard through here, please remember we want those files. We feel they are vital and they are necessary to Leonard's defense. Leonard Peltier, I'm about to the other problems we have in getting a fair trial those are necessary. Because we think it's time that a line be drawn at the how far we are going to allow the condo to the FBI have to go and check it felt tears Welling to draw the line. Hey Gladys, and he's a nurse and I want to make it out. Now. I want to make the issue. I want to fight the FBI on the basis of what they are. I want to tell you I know directly firsthand about FBI things. Because I had a situation I think happened to me in the battle, but it wasn't under this regional office. Although the Aberdeen Area Office was involved in it. So maybe it was considering that all Bia police. They work under what is called a criminal investigator and a criminal investigator was trained in Wash Park in Virginia and Washington DC by our friendly feds. And that's the last song that's the link between the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the FBI criminal investigators that mean that's the out front personal link. That's what makes them all function as a unit cuz he takes even see he's impressed by the FBI or criminal investigator or steps away from evolution. so he's impressed by shiny Badges and guns and bad Bingo push people around in the cat pushing back So they'll do what they're told. It Anyway at one point They want to put me on trial in the battle that if I couldn't prove I was India. If I couldn't prove I was an Indian that was going to put me on trial for armed robbery. a robbery that never took place It made up the crime. Because I wanted to get me on assault with a deadly weapon the feds. Wanted to try me on it in the tribe. Wanted to try me on it. And if that stole the tribe, no, you can't. What if I just went ahead and did it anyway? And the FEDS couldn't try me because of double jeopardy. So then it's a while John hate that we can pursue through down here with come to our attention. They told us the Aberdeen Area Office. The Johnson has not ended. He's a Caucasian. And I don't know if that's that's might be about the worst thing. They said about me that old was that. Play turned around and said wait now, you know that nobody's going to buy that this is all the newspapers. Press be depressed. Want to know why we think the art of Jessie. Play the next day. They said no, he's a Mexican national. If a little wanted poster out on the reservation to that effect. And then they finally settled on I was a Mexican American. I was trying all the time. I was trying to get a look at my birth certificate and it says Indian. So my birth certificate disappeared from the judge's office to tribal Judge's office and we never seen it again. So we couldn't show anybody this he's a babe. And it's on the basis that they allow the state to come to the rescue. They said it'll I was at a school meeting one night and here comes every cop from he's going to have in the state of Nevada to take me out and arrest me. They took me out and arrested me and then they let me out on credit. I mean I could understand the politics real. Well it took the 800 miles is $2,500 to a rescue took me back down. Another hundred miles spend it to another $2,500 to get me back but they cars all the snap everybody had a radio to play with. They got me back down there then they let me out on the word that I would pay $200 for bonds to next day. 390 Place take one around streets 10 at night But it reached the degree I had to Identity hearings. I've been tried on a basis of identity. I've been tried by everyone but the blacks. I would hope that they would try it so I can be a clean sweep. I was tried white cord and an Indian Court. I want it all the courts, but yet all had to go back and do it over again. I was trying three jurisdictions. I was arrested three separate times. I had to put bail up two of those three times. All the basic one internet because they weren't satisfied with a court find it. I was going to take my wife Christmas shopping. She was it was it was 12 days before our youngest daughter was born. Issued an all-points bulletin for my arrest. I was to be considered armed and extremely dangerous dangerous. I was headed south in the Southern Idaho in the brown station wagon Highway 51. I had to leave the state and federal authorities had been involved in a shootout with them. What abroad robbery? I know I didn't know it. They released this information the description I have given you on December 4th. 1975 on the basis of an incident that happened July 17th. And I'm kind of proud of the fact that I managed to maintain the longest continuous gun battle with the beds and nobody knew it. Set my alarm to elude them. But they were going to kill me, but they were going to do it my wife and kids with me. They could they could give one damn they didn't care. So I know firsthand what we're talkin about. Leonard Peltier has never been convicted of a felon is not a felon. I mean you to use labels that are used and usually want to discourage people away or whatever. You don't even have that. Leonard Peltier was one of the he was one of the men in there along with Gino and Bobby they were the oldest ones in there. Besides the albums. Stop yelling at the feds want to nail them on it because they were the oldest. silicon jetliner for drunkenness They were going to bust him on a drug bust cuz you don't use drugs. They were going to get him on a burglary charge mad because he just don't need it. Now they couldn't come up with something useless to get him with. Sonali want to hang something on it that they got no proof on. Miss Cedar Rapids trial Norman Brown testified here yesterday the wishy Draper the one who was tied in the chair in order to get his testimony. They both said under oath and Bobby's trial that one Myrtle poor bear was not the Oglala the day is that shooting in the matter of fact, they didn't even know of Myrtle poor bear. Leonard Peltier was extradited back to the United States of America on the basis of an affidavit signed by Myrtle poor bear. Who said she said something I saw on Leonard. I thought you put it it fit with the first news report that went out bullet-riddled bodies. Leonard theme to lose control of himself and he just grabbed the gun and just started shooting the bodies and like that type of a thing number one. She wasn't there number two. And the reason I know she wasn't there could never seen something of that nature take place the bodies had three bullet holes in them. Maybe stand right on top of three body just going like that. rapid firing And he only had three bullet holes in them. I can't believe it find it too hard to believe you at that supposed to rain GIF hit something and if he's that bad Shawty couldn't hear them at that supposed to rain. attempt There's too many things don't fit. But I want to get at the affidavit that she submitted in the Canadian court and the testimony of the witnesses down in Cedar Rapids. Somebody committed perjury and it was a federal witness. Because the affidavit for Canada was under oath in front of Judge Bogue. It was under oath in testimony down in Cedar Rapids. Somebody committed perjury, but no one's ever been questioned about that. The government is not attempting to get the right person for the shooting the agents or just attempting to get the person they feel it's right for them to get. It's got nothing to do with a crime. Because we were talking about economics and talked about land in the main reason. I wanted to read this about the Treaty the intent of the treaty then our people's intent that it was to be honored. The government's intention when they signed it was that they were just going to use it as a truth. But you see that don't wash that doesn't cut anything because they signed it. So it was not a truce. It was a binding legal commitment between two Sovereign groups of people. And we really want you all to think about that. I mean too many issues to cover we skimmed on the top. And we call me we made an attempt to talk to you about what's going on because somewhere there's got to be enough. There's not to be this many people somewhere that are saying I mean, I would really hope that there is I'm not talking about I'm not questioning anybody's the goodness in your heart. Because it's saying people, you know, they could be have good Hearts. They could have bad hearts. We know that the people in this country are good people. That they only want enough to get by on if they want enough to survive to meet them to meet the basic materialistic needs a little security. We know that. But we also understand that there's got to be an agreement among stops collectively that in order to get our basic materialistic needs and our security met. So we will not exploit each other. I know we will not allow somebody else to exploit us against each other. Because if we're not willing to make that commitment. We're not willing to reach that type of an understanding or an agreement. Dinner is not a one of us has got the right to say that we have a spiritual soul. not a one and people that do not have a spiritual Soul are insane. If we don't believe in something. And a new color TV isn't something. I just heard a word trinket. Understand this maybe I could say it now and I'll get out of your way in all that. Everybody makes a joke how some white people come over and they took the Indians for $24 worth of trinkets. Manhattan Island yo-hay we were telling me why be way, you know, you can share this land you could use it. And thanks for the gift in return. White people said hey, they sold it to us. They let us have it. We were saying you could use it. It's A peculiar arrogance that man has that he can own land here this Earth don't need us, how can we own it be here long time after we're all gone. How could we own it? I say that the Earth owns US. Don't talk about them Trinkets and Beads. How many people sold out their Humanity? So at the trinket that they could have they could drive it home? Or they can live a Fantasy Life by watching. The drinking of Television how they subconsciously how they're just attacking all the times number one telling you that you're not valid as a human being. Exploiting the natural things, you know. Hey you man, you can't tell. You're going to get that get to snag that pretty girl if you don't drive that me trinket car. Bites nutrition close to hide your own worthless self under that's what they're saying. Would I look at it? And then they go tell the girls something. Justice confusing I did everybody's confused. So we'll go to the bars and we'll go somewhere else and get some of that more unnatural shipped to pour in ourselves so we can be confused some more and we'll call it the search for happiness. so anyway Don't you remember that about trinkets? and don't sell your mad at your Humanity out for And we collectively as human beings we can't sell our children off for. Because that's me. That's the height of the madness man when you just don't care what happened to you offspring. When you close your eyes to human things. And you rationalize why I could give my kids a lot of money. I can't give him I can't give of myself or my spirituality because I don't have me. The only place I'm going to give him money and I want to give them some Trinkets and I'm going to instill the madness and them when they are very young. You see for no other reason. Pretty soon. You're not going to be enough trinkets. And then the people are going to be fighting over the trinkets that exists. Now we can start getting ready to prepare the coming Generations that there are other things in life besides trinkets. In the fight won't have to be so awful, and it won't have to last so long, but it's damn sure going to have to take place. over the trinkets It's like a story. Like a big play and they used us all as 2 characters. And I just want to make a personal understanding with all the people in this room on behalf of Leonard. We want your help. There's a lot of ways things can be done. But the most effective way we can think of now is we want them cointelpro files. We want some justice for everything that isn't that we have had to go through. Is Indian people? And we would hope that somewhere in your own mind your own hearts. And in your own spirit that you were like some justice for the things I have done to you. The things that has they have used you for so that they could do it to us. Because when they attacked us. Ours is a physical attack. But they attacked your Humanity when they did it. When they use your lies and rationalizations to get you all to accept the thing to get your parents to accept that their parents before them. Do we really want you guys to think about? I know this is taking a long time and drags out and I'm going to wrap it up. I want to read you something. It someway however small and secret. Each of us is a little mad. Everyone is lonely at bottom and cries to be understood. But we can never entirely understand someone else. And each of us remains part stranger even to those who love us. Is the week or cruel? Gentleness is to be expected only from the strong. Those who do not know fear Are Not Really Brave. Brokerage is the capacity to confront what Can Be Imagined? You can understand people better. If you look at them no matter how old are in pressie. They may be. As if they are children. For both of us never mature. We simply grow taller. Happiness comes only when we can push our brains and our hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable. the purpose of life is matter Chicago to stand for something. To have it make some difference that we had lived it all. Leonard I'd like to thank you all for your time. This concludes our three-part series on the Minnesota citizens review Commission of the FBI will be bringing you more news on NPR of further action taken by the commission, which is been meeting this month to prepare a report on the hearings dfl chairs Rick Scott and Ruth Cain both members of the hearing panel at both indicated that they may contact vice president Walter Mondale to suggest further governmental investigation of the FBI. The commission is also considering other action. I'm the Old Saint Anthony.

Funders

Digitization made possible by the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 2008.

This Story Appears in the Following Collections

Views and opinions expressed in the content do not represent the opinions of APMG. APMG is not responsible for objectionable content and language represented on the site. Please use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report a piece of content. Thank you.

Transcriptions provided are machine generated, and while APMG makes the best effort for accuracy, mistakes will happen. Please excuse these errors and use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report an error. Thank you.

< path d="M23.5-64c0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.2 -0.1 0.1-0.1 0.1-0.2 0.1 -0.1 0.1-0.1 0.3-0.1 0.4 -0.2 0.1 0 0.2 0 0.3 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.2 0 0.1 0 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.2 0 0.4-0.1 0.5-0.1 0.2 0 0.4 0 0.6-0.1 0.2-0.1 0.1-0.3 0.3-0.5 0.1-0.1 0.3 0 0.4-0.1 0.2-0.1 0.3-0.3 0.4-0.5 0-0.1 0-0.1 0-0.2 0-0.1 0.1-0.2 0.1-0.3 0-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.2 0-0.1 0-0.2 0-0.3 0-0.2 0-0.4-0.1-0.5 -0.4-0.7-1.2-0.9-2-0.8 -0.2 0-0.3 0.1-0.4 0.2 -0.2 0.1-0.1 0.2-0.3 0.2 -0.1 0-0.2 0.1-0.2 0.2C23.5-64 23.5-64.1 23.5-64 23.5-64 23.5-64 23.5-64"/>