1,400-Mile Bike Ride Urges Freedom for Indigenous Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier

Interview with Jim Toren, Footprints for Peace founder, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Leonard Peltier is probably the best known indigenous individual held behind bars in the U.S. In 1977, he was convicted of killing two FBI agents during a period of extreme violence on the Pine Ridge Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. His trial was rife with improprieties, including perjury by key witnesses for the prosecution, the withholding of evidence in his favor and more. He has consistently been turned down for parole and President Barack Obama declined to grant Peltier clemency before leaving office.
An international campaign to free Peltier has been ongoing for 40 years. As part of that campaign, a Cincinnati-based group called Footprints for Peace just completed a 1,400-mile bike ride from Cincinnati, Ohio to the Pine Ridge reservation. Since 2005, the group has sponsored long-distance runs, walks and bike rides to promote causes such as nuclear non-proliferation and indigenous rights, and has specifically organized three bike rides on behalf of Leonard Peltier.
Footprints for Peace founder Jim Toren, along with three others, rode to the Pine Ridge reservation where the Peltier case began on June 26, 1975. Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Toren, who talks about the bike ride and its goals.
JIM TOREN: This year it just seemed right to ride where it all started, which is the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. We started in Cincinnati on May 27 and rode approximately 1,400 miles, every day stopping at a new location. We had several Methodist churches that hosted us, usually provided us a meal and a meeting with the community, and we also had an app called Warm Showers, that is a collective of bicyclists that if you agree to let bicyclists stay at your house, in return they’ll let you stay at their house.
That’s where we stayed most of the time, and the idea behind it is just like the walks and the runs; when we stay with a community, we meet with that community and we talk about Leonard Peltier and give them information about what that case is about, and in return they tell us what’s going on in their community, and we just carry all that information with us. So a lot of people refer to it as that pebble gets thrown in the water. It may not seem that it means a lot right there, but as it spreads out, that information keeps going and going and going.

BETWEEN THE LINES: How did the people you spoke to respond?

JIM TOREN: Well, most of them responded the way most people respond, which is, ‘I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this.’ And hopefully with any luck, what they’ll do from there – we showed the documentary several times – Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story – and hopefully after that, because we also give out the information on what they can do, to ask the president for clemency, which is to write the White House, call the White House hotline, and now, tweet – because that seems to get anyone’s attention nowadays, including the president’s. So hopefully they felt passionate enough by the time we got done talking with everyone, that they went out and did those things. Because that’s the only way we’re ever going to see him free, is if enough people will follow through.

BETWEEN THE LINES:  If people haven’t heard of Leonard Peltier’s case, what do you tell them?

JIM TOREN: The thing with the Peltier case that’s important to me is that Leonard did not get a fair trial, and all that information is available through the Freedom of Information Act. And I believe that if he would’ve received a fair trial, then he’d be free. He wouldn’t be sitting in a prison right now. And that’s what I try to stress with people. If you’ve seen the documentaries and read the books, if you have a conscience of any kind, you can’t say he received a fair trial. So, he deserves one and he should receive one, and when he does receive one, he’ll be free.

BETWEEN THE LINES: So, Jim Toren, what happened when you got to Pine Ridge?

JIM TOREN:  Every year they have what they call the Oglala Commemoration, on the day of the actual shootout, which is June 26. The first night, we rode our bikes in and we had a nice little grill out with the community. And they showed us around the property. They’ve got some nice memorial plaques out there now for Joe Stuntz, who was killed during the shoot-out, and for Leonard, of course.

The next morning there was a youth run from Camp Freedom to the little cemetery, and then a big group of people walked, with an honor drum in front, and they were singing songs in front, and we walked behind the truck for about two miles, and then they had speakers that came – people who were actually there. And then afterwards they fed the community. So, people haven’t forgot – we just need more of them.

BETWEEN THE LINES:  I have an indigenous friend who posted to Facebook that if Trump hates the FBI so much, then he should grant clemency to Leonard, since it’s the FBI that’s always adamantly opposed his release. So what can people do to support him?

JIM TOREN: If you want current information on what to do for Leonard, you should go to www.whoisleonardpeltier.info, and that’s his website for the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, and you’ll find all the information on how to donate, which is very important because lawyers aren’t cheap. You’ll be able to find out where all the information on what you can do about letter-writing campaigns, I think they call them Twitter blasts and those are directed directly at the president. And most importantly, send Leonard a letter because he appreciates them. It lets him know that people are still supporting him.

For more information on Footprints for Peace, visit footprintsforpeace.org, and for Footprints for Peace information on the Peltier case, visit footprintsforpeace.net/?page_id=1106. Follow Footprints for Peace on Facebook at FootPrintsforPeace.

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