By Donald “C-Note” Hooker
Nearly five decades. That’s how long Leonard Peltier has endured incarceration, far beyond what justice should allow.
At 80 years old, his life behind bars exemplifies what we at Parole Elder Abuse Concerns Everyone (P.E.A.C.E.) call an “unauthorized quasi-execution.” His ongoing imprisonment demands action.
I came across Leonard’s story through my work with P.E.A.C.E., an initiative focused on exposing how parole boards turn incarceration into a death sentence for elderly inmates. These are individuals, like Leonard, who were sentenced to finite terms but find their later years consumed by a system that disregards humanity. His punishment was never meant to stretch into perpetuity, yet here we are, watching a legal sentence evolve into a moral travesty.
I’ve been involved in movements before. Whether amplifying the voices of fellow prison artists through exhibitions or advocating for reparations for sterilized women prisoners, I’ve seen how systemic injustice thrives on silence. Leonard’s case stands out. Convicted in the 1975 deaths of two FBI agents during the Pine Ridge Reservation conflict, his trial was a litany of coerced testimony, suppressed evidence, and outright lies. His continued imprisonment is a scar on the face of a justice system that has repeatedly failed Native communities.
Leonard’s struggles didn’t start in 1975. They began as a child when federal policies tore him from his family, sending him to boarding schools that erased Indigenous culture under the guise of assimilation. President Biden’s recent apology for the government’s role in the boarding school era felt like an overdue gesture. But as I’ve learned from my advocacy work, apologies without action are hollow. Leonard Peltier’s imprisonment is the very legacy of those assimilation policies, perpetuating the trauma they inflicted.
The solution is clear: commutation. This isn’t about pardoning the past; it’s about honoring the future. Clemency would allow Leonard to live his remaining years outside prison walls, with the chance to clear his name if he chooses. It respects the lives lost at Pine Ridge while acknowledging the grave injustices that marred his trial.
As someone who has spent years elevating the “prisoner’s voice” in art and advocacy, I know how easily systems dismiss those who challenge their authority. But Leonard’s case transcends one man’s freedom. It represents a shift toward accountability, a commitment to righting historical wrongs, and a recognition of marginalized voices long ignored.
President Biden, the clock is ticking. Leonard Peltier’s life hangs in the balance, but so does the integrity of a justice system claiming to serve all. Clemency isn’t just an act of justice—it’s a declaration that we, as a society, are willing to face our failures and do better.
History is watching, and I hope it sees us choose justice.
Leave a Reply