04/23/03

Dear Leonard and Global Supporters :

I had hoped to present a more productive report since my opening statement, but there are some highlights:

1.Regarding the Freedom of Information Act documents we have sought, 60,000 have been released as of July last year, and 40,000 more are currently being sought. The documents relating to Leonard Peltier have recently received National Historic Significance designation. This should allow quicker access and less tampering by the FBI. Mike Kuzuma of New York organized these successful efforts.

2.The 10th Circuit Court of Denver will hear legal efforts for appeal of parole denial, spearheaded by Barry Bachrach, soon. Other legal venues are being pursued and will be posted as news arrives. Lobbying efforts by Tamara Carter are yielding great results and will be shared as completed.

3.A web-site recovery program has been successful. The Leonard Peltier web-site was re launched on March 6th and the global response has been heartening. The LPDC and Leonard Peltier wish to express their thanks to David Velasquez of the Tule River Tribe in California for his efforts. The idea of a support group page to post the efforts of groups with photos etc have been resisted and may never materialize.

4. The KOLA group of Europe and its VIP signatories campaign including high profile and international celebrities such as Madonna and others, has done a great deal for lifting the morale of international supporters.

5. Local support groups of Canada in Vancouver, Seattle and Tacoma have produced musical benefits featuring prominent local musicians and artists and have staged marches with over 300 participants. By the long time dedication of Arthur Miller, Sue Morales, David Velasquez, and Kitty Bell. As well as Shep, Candace, Andrea and others in the northeast. The Oakland and California groups, as well as the many long time supporters on reservations across the land, and countries far and wide.

I feel I will stop trying to name the many as I know I will leave too many out. Please excuse my not recognizing the many.

6.A letter requesting a serious inquiry into Leonard's case (in honor of the Hopi warrior, Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa woman killed in Iraq) has been sent to President Bush by Jerry Adams of the Irish Sinn Fein party. The letter was to have been presented personally, but missed reaching Jerry Adams before the meeting by a few minutes.

But I must now report to you Leonard that it has near impossible to conduct business and move forward with the six activities for your freedom with the people you have surrounded yourself at the office and on your board. I have not received direct communications from you [Leonard] about the matters I brought to your attention concerning the way all communication is filtered to you by individuals who you have just recently met. This is a questionable practice that undercuts the authority of the Chair and has proven counter-productive. These people you are now empowering in this way have no history in our struggle. Curiously, they have refused to give me their resumes, a strange practice for people supposedly agreeing to my first chair report.

It was there that I promised transparency of decisions and an openness of inclusion and accountability. There are efforts to hide the board proceedings and not allow people to come and work in the office.

It does not help either the office or your organizing efforts that they have continually insulted the supporters and misrepresented your stated aims to me, by recognizing Russ Redner as the interim director of the LPDC, stating that this is your wish. This has disrupted relations with the International Treaty council and other native groups. Furthermore, they have created friction with unfounded accusations and causing many of us to be bombarded endless emails that distract from our primary work.

Your support for me and Russ has not been made explicitly clear with these people and I cannot implement the activities and programs you've asked me to with their constant demands that I explain myself to them and wait for their approvals. Anyone who has spent time in the front lines of this struggle would immediately understand the moves I have been requesting for your freedom, yet we are continually challenged and delayed. This is like a secretary questioning the judgment of the Board of Directors, and it causes chaos in the organization.

My priorities are different than theirs. They are spending most of their efforts trying to create a super mall merchandising web site. I need the web-site to be a work-site, where individuals and groups from around the world can check in and join the struggle for your freedom---which is our primary goal. I have proposed doing both simultaneously, but I am being challenged at every turn. This leads me to believe that there is an economic incentive beneath their activities which may go a long way to supporting them, but not your freedom.

I have been approached repeatedly by several of these people individually (behind each others backs) asking for my support so that they could get a contract to market your art work. With these priorities governing their work and with the stress and alienation and mis representation of my (and other people's)efforts for you, it is my sad duty to tell you that with out your total and direct support to me that I will not be able to work in the this office anymore. There are too many vital Native issues that I could be attending too, without seeing my efforts unraveled as they are being produced. Unfortunately, this situation is your fault Leonard. It is your fault because you have continually empowered people who manage to catch your attention in a given moment; people you don't really know; whose history you don't really know. With you in their corner, they are emboldened and empowered to run things as they see fit, making it impossible for your oldest and most loyal supporters to function at all. Just to remind you:

I have advised you since before you were arrested. I went to San Francisco to help you in organizing efforts in 1974. When you were my body guard during the Trail of Broken Treaties, you asked where to go for safety in Canada and I told you not Small Boy's camp, yet you went, with the consequences we know all too well. Then, you asked me to come help you in Vancouver and I have been working for you since that time.

Over the years, I've warned you repeatedly on certain issues and events. Often, you ignored my advice and would later write me apologies. Does this seem familiar? Now, you've asked for my assistance to recover your organization and its resources. Once again, I responded to your request, at great expense to myself personally, and to my children, who have suffered over the years from the time I've donated to this cause; who have watched my time, energy, and resources flow to you and not to them. When the consequences of having people you just met guide your LPDC onto the rocks of alienation and bankruptcy once again, will you later apologize for not listening to me again?

These new people are in a hostile takeover to remove me as your Chairman. They supply you with continual misinformation, work on your suspicions and fears and you respond by empowering them to be your gate keepers to you and to further entrench themselves in absolute control of your affairs. It is so self-destructive and counter-productive I could weep for you.

It is you who are doing the time, Leonard. I know that you are subjected to your letters and phone communication being scrutinized. I can only hope that a psych-op program has not been established and that it is playing you through such people. Can they go to any community such as Denver and have the community respond to them to rally and demonstrations for you?

I will still be out in the world, available to speak and work towards your freedom efforts. I can no longer work in the LPDC without your total, unconditional support. I'm sorry to put you on the spot this way. It will cause you pain I know and that grieves me. But you have created the problem and only you can solve it. You have to look deep into your heart and decide who it is you really trust and why. I should not be in your organization without your support. I pray that it is not the people you presently have working for you, but that is beyond my control. I await your thoughts and decisions, and will only accept them in your handwriting or voice, not through any of these other people I've mentioned.

In the mean time I regretfully resign, as do several others. My resignation is effective after the completion of a few business transactions.

Your long time friend,