Murder on a Reservation
Editorial by Gina Boltz, Director, Native Village publications



For over ten years, the AMERICAN JUSTICE television series has been aired by A&E TV. AMERICAN JUSTICE is the gold standard of criminal justice television. It tackles today's toughest issues through the cases that challenge and change the law. Told by key players from police to the victims to the perpetrators, it offers a rare, inside view that enables viewers to understand the complex legal principles at stake. AMERICAN JUSTICE is hosted by award-winning journalist Bill Kurtis and produced by Towers Productions

On Tuesday, October 17, 2000, AMERICAN JUSTICE originally aired Murder on the Reservation, the controversial case of Native-American activist Leonard Peltier. Leonard is serving consecutive life sentences for the murder of two FBI agents in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Oglala, South Dakota. Peltier's supporters say he's innocent and was railroaded by an FBI desperate to put someone behind bars for the murder of its agents.

A few months ago, a friend and I watched Murder on the Reservation when A&E re-aired the program. My friend, who knew little about Leonard's case, became deeply involved in the story and was amazed by the content. The most astounding evidence, other than federal manipulations and cover-ups, was the proof that the bullets which killed two FBI agents did not come from Leonard's gun -- even though the government said they did. A parallel with the OJ Simpson murder trial comes to mind: as guilty as OJ is, he was found innocent. As innocent as Leonard is, he was found guilty.  And the police tampering in OJ's case was child's play compared to the evidence tampering and manipulation in Leonard's case.

Murder on a Reservation is a convincing testament to the need for a re-trial in the case of Leonard Peltier.  But don't take my word for it: watch Murder on the Reservation for yourself. Then contact the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and add your support for clemency or, at least, a fair trial for a man who did nothing wrong except protect innocent elders and people who were under attack.

Check your local libraries and video stores for available copies, or purchase a copy of Murder on the Reservation, available at Amazon and elsewhere on the Internet.

The millions of people supporting Leonard include:

Visit the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee website: http://www.leonardpeltier.org/

Sources:
http://www.aetv.com/american_justice/aj_episode_guide.jsp?episode=141770
 http://www.tv.com/american-justice/show/24186/summary.html
http://users.skynet.be/kola/vips.htm
www.tickies.net