No Justice, No Surrender

ETS!,

The news just broke on this cold winter morning, no clemency for Leonard Peltier. Clinton could not find it within himself to take a bold action for peace and justice. Clinton goes out of office as he came into office, just another keeper of the great white way. Though we are all extremely disappointed that Leonard has not been freed upon this day; still it ain't no time to surrender.

Leonard's trial was a frame-up and not an act of justice, but an act of retaliation against a person who stood his ground for his people. Leonard's appeals through the courts disproved the government's case against him, but no new and fair trial was granted. A number of parole hearings were held, but they were nothing more than continuing statements of the government's desire for retribution. Since 1993 we have fought the battle for Executive Clemency, only to have another door slammed in our face; still it ain't no time for surrender.

People from around the world have struggle for justice for Leonard, marched in the streets, signed petitions, wrote letters and organized countless events; while the other side had their supporters, but far fewer than Leonard. Today it has been made clear that on the level of public will the voices of repression are more equal than the voices of justice. One Nation under corporate rule, for the corporations, by the corporations, with liberty and justice for the corporations solely. This is the real manifesto of America today; still it ain't no time to surrender. liberty and justice for the corporations solely. This is the real manifesto

Many people have worked hard for justice for Leonard. Some now ask what more can be done? Was this not Leonard's last chance for freedom? Is there any point in continuing to march for a cause that seems hopeless? To this I answer in the strongest voice that I have; Leonard Peltier is being held in the Iron House by the hands of people; at any point those hands can set him free. There is only hopelessness in the acts of doing nothing. As long as the struggle continues there will always be hope; it ain't no time to surrender.

We have fought legal battles in the courts, moral battles in parole hearings and in the campaign for clemency. Now is the time to fight this battle out in the public and build the will of the people to free Leonard even stronger. Where the corporations meet we need to let them know that the name Leonard Peltier will never go away. Where the government's political police force, the FBI, plans their campaigns against dissent, we should be on the outside with our banners proclaiming JUSTICE FOR LEONARD PELTIER. Whenever the politicians go out into the public, we should be there reminding them that they hold the keys to Leonard's prison door. The actions of the FBI and their political bosses clearly show that they fear Leonard and the movement to free him. For they know that with every person who stands with Leonard another person has come out from beneath the veil of governmental deception. The answer to freedom for Leonard Peltier is that the people must cost the deceivers more than they are willing to pay; it ain't no time to surrender.

I know that people are tired, depressed and more than a little angry; this struggle has been damn hard. But we must remember that what we do is called a struggle because it ain't easy to right the wrongs in this society. I am not just saying this because it sounds profound. I have worked continuously for 22 years for justice for Leonard. My children have grown-up marching for Leonard and now my grandchildren are starting to do the same. Time does not make this struggle any easier. Time does not make the frustrations of having so many doors slammed in your face less painful. Though a great wave of depression, anger and rage has swept over me this morning, still I know in my heart; it ain't no time to surrender! In The Spirit Of Total Resistance

Arthur J. Miller, Tacoma, WA

Whose Race?

Dear Geov,

I appreciated your article "Whose race? OUR Race!" in the Jan. 17th issue of Eat the State! Last Saturday, ACORN organized a 65-person meeting in White Center on the utilities crisis. The meeting was conducted in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Many African-American ACORN members from our Rainier Valley chapter were in attendance. ACORN is a member-led organization, so the meeting was chaired by a white woman and a Hispanic woman. We followed up the meeting with an action on the homes of Council Members Jim Compton and Margaret Pageler. We chanted in English and Spanish as we marched down their streets. ACORN is a multi-racial organization of people in low-income neighborhoods. I invite you to attend an ACORN meeting some time to see that there are organizations that bring together people of different races, ethnicities, and languages around common issues of social and economic injustice--organizations that are run by and for those people.

--Doug Bloch, Head Organizer, Washington ACORN

Geov,

I just read "Whose Race? OUR Race!," and it got me to thinking ... I attended the J20 protest and march downtown this past Saturday and was thinking the same thing while standing in the thick of my "white" neighbors, listening to a black speaker protesting the disenfranchisement of black voters across the country. I found the situation a bit uncanny...I mean the (white) REI-clad, middle-aged couple next to me who were holding "re-elect Gore" signs were nodding their heads in agreement of the injustices that prevented blacks from voting...and of course prevented Gore from being inaugurated that day. Why were there hardly any black people in the crowd? Certainly all of us white people weren't there to voice our anger over the fact that blacks are STILL being oppressed by state and federal government agencies. I believe that most of us were there because we are unable to pick our jaws off the floor in reaction to the fact that Dub-yah is now our President; and so we'll agree and march for any number of reasons that contribute to our disbelief that our President is not who we voted for (Nader or Gore or...?). Of course I believe that the people I marched with are genuinely interested in racial equality, but at the same time I'm not sure we'll all see each other at a march for yet another black man who is gunned down in our own city by the people that protect us.

I guess I need to ask myself, "why haven't I showed up to support those protests?" After all, me and my girlfriend live in Columbia City, 4 blocks from Rainier Vista...and we dial 911 at least three times a month to report what some black person is doing outside our house. It's usually a difficult call, because although we want X person to stop selling drugs in the school playground or stop beating his girlfriend in the street, we have seen the cops show up and stop the first black man they come across. I did say the man was wearing a blue and white striped jacket, but the man wearing the Navy hooded sweatshirt (hood up) is putting his hands on the front of a police car. So yes, I should be out there supporting a demonstration against abusive practices resulting from rampant police profiling practices.

I wonder what is the racial makeup of ETS's readership? Is there a black man out there asking himself, "why didn't I show up at the J20 protest?" Am I being naive for even asking this question? Hmmmm. Anyway, my opinion was changed in a significant way this past Saturday ... not because of any one speaker or any one sign or anyone...but at some point I realized that it wasn't the Nader voters that wasted their votes (like I had believed for the past months), but it was me, and the others who voted for Gore that wasted their vote. I wish I could go back to November and vote over again. Why did I vote straight Democratic? I thought I was protecting the environment and women's choice, but there I stood in the rain, huddled between signs condemning Bush and praising Gore ...when the reality is that my female "Democratic" senators are failing to represent me--neither have openly opposed the Attorney General and Interior cabinet nominations. After a march that was so anti-Bush/anti-Republican, it's an interesting thing that I feel equally disgusted with the Democrats. Your articles are always fuel for thought Geov, thanks!

Will Anderson, Seattle, WA

G.P. comments: Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful letters. I had hoped, in the original article, to include a (regrettably) short list of Seattle activist groups that are doing good works in communities of color; the new ACORN chapter is definitely on that list. Others to check out--this is not an exhaustive list, and folks should feel free to send in others- include: Washington Alliance for Immigrant and Refugee Justice (WAIRJ); Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ); NW Labor Employment and Law Office (LELO); Black Dollar Days Task Force; Save Our Valley; Committee to Undo Racism Everywhere (CURE); Coalition of Anti-Racism Whites (CAR-W); People's Coalition for Justice; Leonard Peltier Defense Committee; Jobs With Justice.

ETS! encourages comments, feedback, tips, corrections, and info! Please keep them as concise as possible so we can print as many different voices as possible: ETS!, P.O. Box 85541, Seattle WA 98145, or e-mail ets@scn.org.