Leonard Peltier Research Paper

Leonard Peltier is an imprisoned Native American. He lived on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and was arrested after an incident on the property. May events lead up to his arrest. The first incident happened on February 27, 1973. Members of the American Indian Movement, or AIM, staged a seventy-two-day occupation of land called, Wounded Knee. Their mission was to protest injustices against their tribes, such as violations of the many treaties. The United States government responded with a violent attack against the protesters. The stand out ended with US officials that promised hearings on treaty violations, these promises were never met. In the end use of military force by the U.S. government was later ruled unlawful on Native American …show more content…
Leonard should be acquitted of the charges against him. Leonard seems to be targeted by the FBI because of his close ties to the AIM group. The FBI seemed to be prejudiced against the traditional Native American individuals. They targeted these individuals because of cultural differences. The people of the FBI seem to go through deindividuation, the members of the FBI seem to have lost their morals. FBI agents seem to have gone through deindividuation doing whatever they please because they can hide behind a badge, this includes lying in a court of law. From the lack of truthful evidence, Peltier cannot get convicted in a court of law because no one can prove he shoot the FBI agents in point blank range. Alternatively, some may say Mr. Peltier is equally guilty whether he shot the agents at point-blank range, or participated from a distance. However, this excuse cannot be used because co-defendants participated in the shoot-out from a distance, but were declared innocent. Currently Peltier is 72 years old and suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition. It is time that Leonard Peltier gets the justice he deserves and should be released from prison, to enjoy the rest of his