4-10 December, Washington DC: Week of Action for Clemency for Leonard Peltier

4 December through 10 December
Washington, DC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/363856783959581/

peltier-clemencyJoin us for a week of activities focused on Indigenous rights and advocating for clemency for Leonard Peltier.

Schedule of Events:

Sunday, December 4 – Friendship/Welcoming Circle

From 1:00-3:00 p.m., join us at the National Museum of the American Indian (outdoor space), 4th Street and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20560.

Monday, December 5 – White House Vigil

Join us for a vigil for Executive Clemency for Leonard Peltier at the White House (peak hours from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), followed by a potluck dinner (details TBA).

Tuesday, December 6 – White House Vigil

The White House vigil will continue, peak hours from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, December 6 – Evening screening of “Warrior: The Life of Leonard Peltier”

Join us at the George Washington University Amphitheater, Cloyd Heck Marvin Center, 3rd Floor, 800 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052. The event is open to the public and the doors will open at 6:00 p.m.

“Warrior: The Life of Leonard Peltier” is the definitive feature documentary about American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier. His story is told within the context of the American Indian Movement, the US federal government, and the multinational companies interested in mining the land in South Dakota. Produced and directed by Suzie Baer (1992)

To understand Peltier’s story, Warrior takes us back to the violent confrontations at Pine Ridge and Wounded Knee in the 70s, and then to today’s Indian reservations where the government’s plans for uranium mining and waste dumping are still being heatedly resisted by Indian activists. The heart of the film, though, is a detailed painstaking account of Peltier’s harrowing odyssey through the American justice system.”

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with filmmaker Suzi Baer.

Wednesday, December 7 – White House Vigil

The White House vigil will continue, peak hours from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December 7 – “Leonard Peltier: The Case for Clemency”

A press conference will be conducted beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the National Press Club, Zenger Room, 529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045. The panel will include Martin Garbus, lead counsel for Leonard Peltier; Cynthia Dunne, attorney for Leonard Peltier and former federal prosecutor; Bruce Ellison, long-time attorney for Leonard Peltier; Justin Mazzola of Amnesty International-USA; John Dulles, former Regional Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (and successor to Bill Muldrow); and Jean Roach and Norman Patrick Brown, survivors of the June 26, 1975 firefight at the Jumping Bull ranch, commonly referred to as “the Incident at Oglala” that led to the decades-long imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. The panel will be joined by Peltier family members and other invited guests. The panel presentations will be followed by a Q&A session. Opportunities for individual interviews with panelists and other attendees will be provided.

Thursday, December 8 – White House Vigil

Vigil at the White House (peak hours from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) and concurrent visits to the U.S. Senate.

Friday, December 9 – White House Vigil

Vigil at the White House (peak hours from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) and concurrent visits to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Friday, December 9 – Unveiling of Peltier Statue

Unveiling of a statue of Leonard Peltier will occur at 2:30 p.m. at the American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. The statue will be on exhibit Friday-Sunday, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Friday Evening, December 9 – “Indigenous Rights and Environmental Issues: Problems and Solutions”

Join us at the Continental Ballroom, George Washington University, Cloyd Heck, Marvin Center, Floor 3, 800 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052 for presentations by and discussion with Indigenous organizers and advocates from across the country. Topics will include a range of environmental issues and updates on how Native communities are addressing them. From resource extraction, to transport of oil and nuclear waste, and to deforestation how are the country’s earliest residents and their ancestral homelands affected? How is colonization still happening today and what can be done about it? Speakers include Leona Morgan of Diné No Nukes, Jasilyn Charger of the International Indigenous Youth Council on the Dakota Access Pipeline, and other special guests. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Human Rights Day, December 10 – “U.S. Prisons: Conditions of Confinement”

Join us for a conference at the Washington College of Law, American University – Tenley Campus, 4300 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Yuma Building, Claudio Grossman Hall, Washington, DC 20016. Speakers include:

Daniel McGowan, former federal prisoner, on Communication Management Units and First Amendment rights of prisoners;

Robert King of the Angola 3 (former Louisiana state prisoner) on solitary confinement;

Pooja Gehi, Executive Director of the National Lawyers Guild, on aging prisoners in the U.S., and early release options, as well as an update on activists’ rights;

Jamelia Morgan, American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, on an array of prisoners’ rights issues including medical neglect;

Lenny Foster, Navajo Nation Corrections Project and International Indian Treaty Council, on infringement of spiritual/religious rights of Indigenous prisoners;

Jasmine Heiss, International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, on Leonard Peltier and conditions of his confinement, including current health-related concerns; and more TBA.

Doors will open at 8:00 a.m.

The conference will be followed at 4:00 p.m. by a walk/march to the White House sponsored by Red Nation. A candlelight vigil will follow at the White House (5:00-8:00 p.m.). If you are only able to attend Human Rights Week events one day of the week, we request that you participate in this closing event.

For information on 2016 Human Rights Week, please send an email to [email protected].