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Plan of Action: Your Help Is Needed! September/October 2002 Update Case Update -- Motion for Reduction of Sentence -- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) -- High Speed Scanner Up and Running -- Civil Rights Suit -- Habeas Corpus Plan of Action -- Write Congress -- Coordinate Local Events and Activities to Raise Awareness -- Be Prepared to Respond to Calls for Attendance at Public Hearings -- Sponsor an LPDC Speaker Fundraising Efforts -- Participate in LPDC Fund Drive   Case Update September 16, 2002   Motion for Reduction of Sentence Come to the Hearing in St. Paul, MN October 8th! Attorney Eric Seitz reports that a hearing on the appeal of the dismissal of Leonard's Motion for Reduction of Sentence, from consecutive to concurrent life sentences, has been scheduled. This hearing is set in St. Paul, Minnesota, for October 8th, 2002. The arguments are just 15 minutes for and against. We expect prosecutor Lynn Crooks to come out of retirement to oppose attorneys Seitz and Bruce Ellison. Hopefully, the judges will find in Leonard's favor and directly resentence him. In that event, the Parole Commission must grant an immediate hearing with very little room to deny parole. Plan on being in St. Paul on Oct 8th if you can make it! We need to pack the courtroom to support Leonard. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 30,000 Pages Released FBI Obstructing Release of up to 100,000 More Pages In June 2002, the FBI was forced to release close to 30,000 pages of documents relating to Leonard's case, referred to by the FBI as "RESMURS," for Reservation Murders. The documents were released to Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), who said he was "only doing his job" by responding to constituent requests for the release of the documents. This is an excellent example of how sustained grassroots organizing, letter writing, and lobbying can ultimately gain significant advances. Peltier Attorneys Michael Kuzma and Barry Bachrach have now filed FOIA requests with all FBI field offices said by FBI HQ to possess Peltier documents. The FBI's lead FOIA agent says these documents may number close to 100,000 pages, in addition to the 30,000 just released. However, FBI field offices have said that the scope of the inquiries outstrips their capacity to process the documents, referring the requests to FBI headquarters. This is clearly a stalling tactic, and a FOIA lawsuit will soon be filed to force the FBI to follow the law. The current plan of action includes letters to both the House and Senate Committees overseeing Freedom of Information Act compliance. In 1980, 12,000 documents were released through a FOIA suit, among them a ballistics test report reflecting Leonard's innocence and prompting the government to admit that they do not know who shot the agents. We are convinced that even more critical evidence exists in the remaining documents. Just one piece of new evidence could lead to Leonard's release. High Speed Scanner Up and Running Thanks to many generous donations, a very fast, state-of-the-art system has been obtained by the LPDC to scan the 30,000 pages of FBI documents. This will allow for the wide distribution of the documents to Leonard's legal team and to others close to the case, for careful reading and analysis. We will also develop a sophisticated digital archive of these documents, as well as all the legal documents from Leonard's case and the vast number of newspaper and other press reports on Leonard. This will help in developing the civil rights suit (see below) and will also be made available on our website, www.freepeltier.org Civil Rights Suit On April 4th, 2002, a Civil Rights Suit was filed against the FBI and other government officials who made false and misleading statements to the public, the Parole Commission, the Justice Department, and the President. The FBI is actively evading the service of their summons. This delay tactic is "classic FBI obstruction," according to Peltier attorney Bernard Kleinman. The cost of serving summons, when evaded, must be paid for by the defendants (in this case, the FBI will pass the expense on to the taxpayers). However, until then, the LPDC will need to cover these costs. Once the summonses are served, and a hearing date set, the FBI and their lawyers will move to have the suit dismissed. At that point, we will send out a call for people to come to Washington, DC to pack the courtroom. Habeas Corpus Painting of Leonard by Debbie Kinson Attorneys Carl Nadler and Ramsey Clark filed a habeas corpus suit against the US Parole Commission in 1999, challenging the repeated denial of parole and the failure of the Commission to follow its own guidelines. The suit has been fully briefed and languishing in the District Court for three years. A writ of mandamus will be forthcoming to force the court to render a decision on the case. Leonard and a fellow inmate have filed a separate habeas motion in DC, addressing the failures of the Kansas Court and the Parole Commission.

Plan of Action Your Help Is Needed! September 16, 2002  Increase Pressure for the Release of Additional Documents and Inclusion of Leonard's Case in FBI Misconduct Hearings Write Congress Coordinate Local Events and Activities to Raise Awareness Be Prepared to Respond to Calls for Attendance at Public Hearings Sponsor an LPDC Speaker Participate in LPDC Fund Drive

Write Congress The LPDC Calls for Inclusion of Peltier Case in FBI Misconduct Hearings On January 25th, 2002 CBS News reported "A Boston case in which the FBI knowingly participated in a conspiracy to send an innocent man to prison for 32 years has so incensed Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, that he has vowed to keep investigating the FBI for more such injustices." The Committee is currently investigating the Boston FBI/Mafia case, in which it was revealed that the FBI knowingly sent four innocent men to prison for murders they did not commit, to protect a mob hit man who was an FBI informant. Sentences for two of the four, Joseph Salvati and Peter Limone, were overturned last year. Tragically, the other two died while in prison. Since January of this year, we have called on Representative Burton, Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee to include Leonard's case in the current investigations of FBI misconduct. We urge you to write Rep. Burton regarding this issue. Send a copy your letter to your representative. Additionally, we encourage support of Rep. Dan Burton's bill, HR 5213, to rename the FBI Headquarters Building, stripping the building of the name of J. Edgar Hoover. The bill was introduced on July 25, 2002, by Rep. Burton (R-IN), and enjoys bipartisan support with cosponsors Steven LaTourette (R-OH), Christopher Shays (R-CT), William Delahunt (D-MA), John Lewis (D-GA), and John Tierney (D-MA). For more information on HR 5213 please visit the web at http://reform.house.gov/boston.htm Other committee members you may wish to send letters to are listed at the Committee on Government Reform web site. To stay apprised of actions by the Justice Dept. to Rep. Burton's efforts, updates are posted regularly to this web site. Action Needed to Compel FBI and CIA Release of FOIA Documents In addition to the letter to Representative Burton, which many of you may have already sent, we are asking for your assistance in releasing the documents held at FBI field offices (the CIA is also, not surprisingly, refusing to release their Peltier documents). Write to the House and Senate committees that oversee FOIA requests. In the House, write to Rep. Stephen Horn (R-CA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Inter-governmental Relations. In the Senate, write to Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information. Sample letters to Representative Burton, your representative requesting support of H.R. 5213, and to Senator Feinstein and Representative Horn are available online at freepeltier.org Click on Names or Icons (below) for Sample Letters Senator Dianna Feinstein Representative Stephen Horn Your Representative Representative Dan Burton WRITE FOUR LETTERS TO CONGRESS: TWO (2) LETTERS. Write Sen. Feinstein and Rep. Horn, chairs of committees who oversee the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), requesting they investigate FBI obstruction of Leonard's FOIA requests TWO (2) LETTERS. Write your representative requesting that they cosponsor Rep. Dan Burton's bill H.R.5213 to remove J. Edgar Hoover's name from the FBI building in DC. Send a copy of this letter to Dan Burton. Write Rep. Burton, requesting that Leonard Peltier's case be included in current investigations of FBI misconduct. Send a copy of this letter to your representative. If you receive a response, please send a copy to LPDC, PO Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044

Coordinate Local Events and Activities to Raise Awareness OCTOBER 12, 2002 International Indigenous Peoples Day/Alternative Columbus Day Due to the large number of activities that are being planned around the September 11th WTC anniversary, we are postponing Leonard's Annual Sept. 12th Birthday fundraising/visibility day (he turns 58) and are calling for a day of action for Leonard on or around October 12th, "Columbus Day". Enlist your friends, family, and communities in the Until Freedom is Won campaign. Hold events or facilitate activities that will spread awareness about the new strategies, while galvanizing active support. Here are some ideas that have worked well in the past: Potluck/Meeting Invite friends, family, local organizations, fellow supporters, and potential supporters to a potluck and planning meeting. Discuss the case and the new strategies and plan outreach, fundraising and mobilization efforts for the months to come. The discussion might include: Planning fundraisers Planning to send delegates from your group to hearings Planning outreach efforts, such as regular leafleting in a public place, video showings, or talks. Visiting local churches, labor unions, civil and human rights organizations to ask for endorsements, participation and support. More Ideas Outreach and Information on Fund-Raising Vigil Hold a vigil on or around October 12th. Invite local organizations, church members, tribal members, and general public to attend. Alert the media and announce the new strategies at the vigil. Inform attendees of ways to get involved on a local level. Fundraiser Hold a benefit concert with local bands, a poetry reading, or Indian taco or bake sales to raise funds for the LPDC. Use the fundraiser to distribute information and announce the new strategies. Leafleting If you are not in a position to coordinate an event on October 12th, consider leafleting in a busy area to generate more awareness. Hand out the informational brochure available on our web site or in our info packet, and ask those who show interest to subscribe to our e-mail list-serve or our Spirit of Crazy Horse newspaper.

Be Prepared to Respond to Calls for Attendance at Public Hearings In addition to the hearing on the dismissal of Leonard's Motion for Reduction of Sentence, we expect hearings in Washington, DC for the Civil Rights lawsuit, the forthcoming FOIA lawsuit, and Leonard's new habeas motion. For those of you who are able to travel and attend these hearings, we ask you please to do so. If you are not able to travel, donations to help fund the travel of others, as well as other expenses, are gratefully accepted.

Sponsor an LPDC Speaker Help educate your community about the case of Leonard Peltier by sponsoring an LPDC speaker. Each of our speakers is well versed in the case and most have a close connection to its history. Our speaker's bureau consists of survivors and witnesses of the Pine Ridge "Reign of Terror," as well as professors, lawyers, and Indigenous Rights activists. Many knew Leonard Peltier as a free man. Each of our speakers has special knowledge and experiences to share with their audiences and can give a unique talk on the case. All speakers belong to the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and are familiar with efforts underway to gain Leonard Peltier's release. Contact us to find out what is involved in sponsoring a speaker. You can also visit the speaker's bureau section of our web site for more information. Speakers Bureau List and Biographical Information

Fundraising Efforts September 16, 2002 Participate in LPDC Fund Drive Make a donation, collect donations, and/or coordinate fundraisers to support the campaign to free Leonard Peltier. To enable the legal team to put their full efforts into their cases, we need to have resources available for filing fees, FOIA copying fees (which are exorbitant), travel, and in cases where extensive hours are required, funds to pay minimal fees for their time. Additionally, funds are desperately needed for the support effort, which will include the mobilization to court hearings, an extensive awareness drive, and special events. (For more details please see the LPDC Fund Drive brochure or visit our web site). We need donated frequent flier miles. Please notify us if you will be sponsoring an event or activity on October 12th so that we can help you publicize it. Your ideas may also inspire others to take action. Thank you for your dedication and support. More On Fund-Raising

Outreach and Education Due to the political nature of the Peltier case, a high level of public awareness is critical if the new legal efforts are to succeed. Set up literature tables at events/public places Organize teach-ins Host speaking engagements with LPDC spokespeople Plan video showings Leafleting Write letters to the editor Encourage community radio stations to highlight the case Gather names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses from Peltier supporters for our data base and list serve Hold book readings featuring My Life Is My Sun Dance by Peltier

Fund-Raisers Organizing and sustaining a freedom campaign costs a lot of money. The more we can raise the more we can do to gain Leonard's freedom. The LPDC is maintained mostly by personal donations and small fund raisers. This money is used to cover office overhead expenses, pay legal fees, and to organize special events and projects. Without funding our hands are tied. Every penny helps.   PERSONAL DONATIONS The LPDC depends largely on personal donations. We accept checks and money orders made out to "LPDC." Donations over $250 are tax deductible upon request. Such donations should be made out to "Global Exchange/LPDC." Global Exchange is our tax exempt fiscal sponsor. Donations should be mailed to the LPDC, PO Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044. Since the LPDC depends largely on personal donations, we've now made it easier for you to make personal donations using our secure, online account with PayPal. PayPal is a widely used and trusted method for making secure online payments via credit/debit cards. To make a donation now, just click on the *PayPal* button below.   ACCOUNTABILITY When raising funds for any cause, it is important to keep accurate records. This helps all of us remain credible and accountable - and will help build trust among donors. Please keep a record of how much money you raise at any given event. Keep receipts for the reimbursement of your expenses and your local organizing costs - if you have any. All other funds should be sent to the LPDC to support the freedom campaign.   FUNDRAISING EVENTS From the absurd to the sublime, every penny counts!!! Put on a local fund-raiser for Leonard Peltier. Be creative and have fun. Local fund-raisers can be a good opportunity to unite communities and spread the word on Leonard's case while raising much needed money for his defense. Do not think that small fund-raisers are not worth the effort because when many people do them, it really adds up. Below are some fund-raisers people have had in the past: Book Readings Garage sales Benefit Concerts Bake Sale, Taco sale Theater, puppet shows, poetry readings Dance party Video Showing Raffle Walk-a-thon, run-a-thon, bike-a-thon Bingo game individual donations and pledges Craft sales Independent theater showing of "Incident at Oglala" Pancake breakfast, Spaghetti dinner, Pie eating contest Print Party (Show Leonard's lithographs and have people order them)   Recent Updates: Download & Print Complete Sept/Oct 2002 Case Update (Word Doc) LPDC Call for Action! September 9, 2002 LPDC Update/Action Alert! July 20, 2002

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