Everyone is aware of how common wrongful convictions are. Wrongful convictions destroy the person who was wrongfully convicted’s life. Leonard Peltier, A native american activist and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) had the unfortunate luck of having spent most of his life in prison despite the flaws in his trial.
Peltier was convicted for the connection of the deaths of two FBI agents in a shootout in south dakota in 1975. The conviction became a symbol for native americans that have been wrongfully convicted due to political purposes and his involvement with AIM. Many of the evidence presented on court during his hearing was a bit questionable and didn’t add up. A prosecutor argued that the bullets that were fired at the agents matched Peltier’s weapon but the statement was inconsistent. Evidence that could have helped Peltier’s defense was withheld by the FBI for the court to see which made the trial unfair.
Back then, the tension between the FBI and AIM was high since many AIM members ran into problems with the FBI. It’s safe to assume that since Peltier was a member of AIM, the FBI was being biased and looking for an excuse to put a member behind bars, especially since AIM fights against discriminatory policies. Discriminatory policies that are heavily regulated by the FBI.
Peltier’s case had a big impact on native americans since Peltier became a symbol of young activists and their goal to pursue fair trials, justice and equity. Peltier was not given a fair trial where all evidence that was against him dint add up and the fbi withheld evidence therefore activist fight for stricter rules regarding withholding evidence. Despite all of this, there continues to be a lot of racism, bias and unjust trials against native americans. Leonard is still in custody and has been denied parole multiple times and is currently serving two consecutive life sentences. Many activists have been pushing for his release due to his health concerns which are getting worse and worse as time goes. His next parole hearing is some time this year in 2024 where he might be approved due to his health declining and his multiple supporters.