Leonard Peltier and Eddie Hatcher

Leonard Peltier AND EDDIE HATCHER

THE NATIVE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE WITH THE U.S. JUSTICE SYSTEM

The objective of this work is to provide two cultural or historic examples of injustice in the treatment of Native American individuals and will identify the tribe or the individual's name as well as the geographical or historical context. The pros and cons of the situation will be analyzed and stated.

Leonard Peltier is a Native American who is imprisoned and is considered to be a political prisoner by Amnesty International, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, National Congress of American Indians, and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Leonard Peltier was tried and convicted for the deaths of two FBI agents who were killed in 1975 at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation during a shoot-out. North Carolina Indian activist Eddie Hatcher is another example of the injustice allotted to Native American individuals exampled by their treatment within the 'justice' system of the United States. While the U.S. has spoken out against countries that commit violations to human rights and hold political prisoners the U.S. has itself committed these violations with an estimated 100 political prisoners being held in the United States and all of these stated to be "recognized as Political Prisoner's by National Organizations and reputable leaders and religious groups." (Burrows, 1994)

THE CASE OF LEONARD PELTIER

In 1973 a three-year period of political violence began on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the tribal chairman hiring vigilantes or self-titled "GOONS" to run the American Indian Movement (AIM) off of the reservation. During the violence over 60 traditional tribal and AIM members were murdered and many more hurt. The evidence seemed to point to the GOONS as being responsible for the largest part of the crimes yet nothing was done to stop the ongoing violence. THE GOONS were supplied with intelligence on AIM members by the FBI who also supplied the GOONS with ammunition. The traditional people at Pine Ridge South Dakota asked Leonard, who was a gifted organizer for AIM to go to Pine Ridge and watch over those who were the victims of violence. Leonard and a few other younger members of AIM camped on a ranch which was owned by the Jumping Bull Family, a tradition family. June 26, 1975 was the fateful day that two agents for the FBI followed a pickup in their unmarked car to the Jumping Bull Ranch. The families who lived there, due to the violent nature of those who had targeted them became scared and shots rang out while over 150 agents, GOON's and law officers surrounded the ranch. When the shooting was done the two agents for the FBI and one Native American was dead. The FBI documents sate that over 40 participant Native Americans were involved however, only members of AIM Bob Robideau, Darrell Butler and Leonard Peltier were brought to trial.

THE CASE OF EDDIE HATCHER

Eddie Hatcher, a Native American activist had worked diligently "around the rights of minorities and poor, whites in Robeson County. In a few short years Robeson County had become deluged with cocaine as well as 20 unsolved murders executive style occurring. The only charges for drug trafficking were charges against minorities. Hatcher had managed to obtain "maps and documentation from a Federal Informer who had assisted the FBI and DEA in major drug convictions. Eddie possessed evidence that 34 major business people and law enforcement officers including Sheriff Hubert Stone were behind the major cocaine trafficking in the county and eastern North Carolina."

After having obtained this evidence Eddie contacted the FBI, DEA and Federal Customs with all refusing to assist or help with the case. During the same time period, upon learning about the evidence that Hatcher had in his possession "Sheriff Stone and State Bureau of Investigation Agents met and decided they would "have Eddie Hatcher before the week was out." (Federal Trial Transcript Witness Testimony)

DISCUSSION

These two cases are, at first glance, quite different from one another however; upon a closer look the similarities are shockingly obvious. In each instance, both that of Peltier and Hatcher, the American justice system has failed to protect the rights of each individual and that failure is based upon the individual's minority status. Clearly this is a travesty of justice that one would think would have been resolved in the U.S. system of justice however, unfortunately for the Native Americans that reside in the United States this type of injustice is a factor in the daily life of the individual who is a minority. Each of these men, both Peltier and Hatcher are actually heroes who made their stand for the minority individuals, such as those at Ruby Ridge experiencing violent assault and the minorities for whom Hatcher hoped to assist in identifying and collecting information as to the actual wrongdoers in the cocaine trafficking business in Robeson County. In each of these cases the 'system' stepped squarely upon the minority individual[s] in a careless disregard for basic human rights, justice and the very principles that the United States is founded upon.