[IPSM] U.S. Renews War on the American Indian Movement

[Macdonald Stainsby]

Hi Everyone,

This is Billie Pierre. Last month, an article published online by writer 
Michael Connelly for CounterPunch titled "Getting Away with Murder, 
Killing Anna Mae Aquash, Smearing John Trudell" 
(http://www.counterpunch.org/donnelly01172006.html) was written in 
response to an article I wrote for Earth First! called "The US Renews 
It's War against the American Indian Movement-The Anna Mae Picou-Aquash 
Story" (included below).

It was unfortunate that the Earth First article wasn't made available 
online, while CounterPunch made accusations against John Graham, 
including the outright lie that "John confessed to murdering Anna Mae in 
2001".
That is a very grave lie to make, and that CounterPunch needs to be 
called on. This article goes on to say that John's misinformed 
supporters have snitchjacketed John Trudell. This probably has something 
to do with
the boycott of John Trudell (his music, movies, documentary, etc.), that 
was announced by the Vancouver Native Youth Movement in March 2005. In 
the spirit of fairness, I've asked author of the valued and respected 
book "Blood of the Land, US and Canada's Corporate Wars on First 
Nations," Rex Weyler, to go over my article. He did and he likes it.

This case is very simple. There are no eye witnesses, and no physical 
evidence. The US government is using this case to smear AIM's couragous 
contributions to indigenous resistance, and to make the FBI look like 
heroes. Any native who cares about their people, and their land need to 
step up and support John Graham, and the many people being targetted in 
this corrupt murder case.

All My Revolutionary Relations
Billie

===================

US Renews War on the American Indian Movement:
The Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash Story
by Billie Pierre

In the past few years, the memory of Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash—an American
Indian Movement (AIM) leader from the Mi'kmaq Nation in Nova Scotia,
Canada—has been reduced to that of a helpless woman who was murdered by
her own allies. In reality, her murder is part of a ruthless campaign
waged by the US government—a campaign that, far from being ancient
history, is still unfolding today.

Thirty years after the death of Pictou-Aquash, the US government has
renewed its war against the last remnants of AIM. As in the 1970s, this
attack is only part of a larger war to gain control over Native lands and
resources.

The US made its first violent attack against AIM in 1973, in what became
known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Takeover. Natives had been
conducting a peaceful protest outside the BIA headquarters in Washington,
DC, when they were attacked by riot police. In response, the Natives
barricaded themselves inside the building, smashed up offices and took
top-secret documents. These documents proved that the government was
illegally handing out reservation land, water and mineral rights to
corporations.

That same year, AIM launched a campaign on the Pine Ridge Reservation in
South Dakota. Dick Wilson, the corrupt tribal president, had created a
paramilitary force with stolen federal program funding. With his control
of the reservation secured by force, Wilson set about ceding uranium-rich
areas of the sacred Black Hills to the federal government. AIM assisted
in protecting Pine Ridge's traditional families from the constant
onslaught of violence, which culminated in the AIM occupation and
government siege of Wounded Knee in the Spring of 1973. From 1973 to
1976, the people of Pine Ridge lived under the "Reign of Terror"—more
than 76 Natives, mainly traditional Lakota and AIM members, were
murdered, primarily by Wilson's Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs).

On June 26, 1975—while Wilson was in Washington, DC, signing away an
eighth of the reservation—the FBI launched an attack on an AIM camp at
Pine Ridge. The US was dealt a humiliating blow—two FBI agents lost their
lives. Although Joe Stuntz Killsright, a Native warrior, was killed in
the shoot-out, an estimated 40 Native men, women and children escaped.

In extreme rage, the FBI violently harassed Lakota families. They drafted
a list of people that they suspected were present at the shoot-out, and
they blamed Leonard Peltier, Bob Robideau, Dino Butler and Jimmy Eagle
for killing the agents. The four young men went on the run. Butler and
Robideau were eventually arrested, tried and acquitted by an all-white
jury, so the FBI targeted Peltier for the "murder" of the agents. Of
course, there has never been an investigation into Stuntz Killsright's
death.

At this time, Pictou-Aquash was "snitch-jacketed" by the FBI. This tactic
of the FBI's Counter-intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) undermined
valuable members of a group by casting them in suspicious situations.
Wherever Pictou-Aquash went, arrests would follow. She'd be released,
while other AIM members were slapped with charges and high bail. In
September 1975, FBI Agent David Price attempted to force her to sign an
affidavit implicating Peltier for the murder of the two FBI agents. She
refused to cooperate, and Price promised her that she wouldn't live to
see the year's end.

Pictou-Aquash went underground, turning to AIM for protection and putting
her fears of the FBI in writing. In late February, her body was found
outside of Wanbli, on Pine Ridge. Four FBI agents joined the
"investigation," including Price. They cut off her hands for "fingerprint
analysis," and despite the visible bullet hole in the back of her head,
they determined that the cause of her death was exposure. They quickly
arranged for her to be buried as a Jane Doe. After this cover-up came to
light, the FBI released a statement announcing that Pictou-Aquash was not
a government informant. As intended, this statement insinuated that AIM
might have believed Pictou-Aquash to be an informant and murdered her.

After nearly three decades of dormancy, law enforcement attempts to
"solve" the murder of Pictou-Aquash recently resumed, with a surprising
number of former AIM members accepting and promoting the FBI's version of
events. On March 30, 2003, two Native men were accused of her murder—John
Graham and Arlo Looking Cloud. There is no credible evidence linking
either man to the crime, and their prosecution seems like nothing more
than an effort to destroy what little remains of AIM.

US Marshal Robert Ecoffey has played a prominent role in resurrecting the
investigation. Ecoffey got his start in law enforcement as a GOON in the
1970s, and he participated in the Oglala shoot-out. In the 1990s, after
becoming the first Native US Marshal in history, Ecoffey resurrected the
Pictou-Aquash murder investigation and followed FBI claims that AIM was
responsible. Ecoffey and Denver, Colorado, Detective Abe Alonzo spent
years visiting and questioning Looking Cloud about the murder.

Looking Cloud is an Oglala Lakota and a father of two. He also has serious
substance abuse problems that were exploited by Ecoffey and Alonzo during
their investigation. In March 2003, in an alleged confession video-taped
by Ecoffey, Looking Cloud admitted to being under the influence of
alcohol. Alonzo then fed him leading questions, and Looking Cloud slurred
contradictory answers. He allegedly confessed that he had been the
unwitting accomplice in Pictou-Aquash's execution by AIM. He stated that
he witnessed Graham take her to the edge of a ravine and shoot her in the
back of the head.

Looking Cloud was denied the right to choose his own lawyer. During his
trial, every witness for the prosecution presented AIM in the most
negative light possible, and they contradicted each other in their
testimonies. Many people could have been called as defense witnesses, to
testify that Pictou-Aquash had been afraid of the FBI, not AIM. But the
defense called only one witness—FBI Agent Price! He was questioned for 10
minutes on Pictou-Aquash and whether she was an FBI informant. Looking
Cloud's lawyer made few motions and did not challenge Ecoffey and
Alonzo's manipulation of his client. Looking Cloud was not allowed to
take the stand to defend himself; all that was shown was the videotaped
interview that he had given. In February 2004, after a four-day trial,
Looking Cloud was convicted of aiding and abetting in the murder of
Pictou-Aquash, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Looking Cloud's
subsequent appeal was denied. In October, Looking Cloud fired his most
recent lawyer. Unfortunately, without much more widespread support in the
US and Canada, he is unlikely to challenge the dirty tactics used to
convict him.

Sadly, many former members of AIM are now cooperating with the FBI's
renewed war on the movement.

Robideau now lives in Spain, where he operates a "Native museum" and does
workshops on "Native art" for Europeans. Robideau has also profited from
Robert Redford's Incident at Oglala, a documentary about the 1975
shoot-out. In this movie, Robideau perpetuates rumors of a "Mr. X"—the
man who really murdered the FBI agents. Rather than exonerating Peltier,
this creates an opportunity for the FBI to possibly prosecute more AIM
members for the shootings. Robideau also perpetuates the rumor that
Peltier once
interrogated Pictou-Aquash with a gun, suspecting that she was working for
the FBI.

In the wake of Pictou-Aquash's death, Robideau stated that the FBI killed
her "because they knew she was one of us and wouldn't talk." But in
February 2004, he claimed: "I for one applaud the verdict of guilty in
the Arlo Looking Cloud case." A month later, Robideau resigned from the
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) "after several discussions with
this group regarding the ongoing support and comfort that the LPDC...
continues to give to John Graham and the John Graham Defense
Committee.... I personally will be overjoyed when the Canadian courts
rule to return John Graham... to the US to answer for this brutal murder.
I will pray that his extradition contributes to an escalation of this
case."

Another turncoat is Russell Means, the charismatic national director of
AIM during the 1970s. Since then, he has moved on to Hollywood, starring
in The Last of the Mohicans and Disney's Pocahontas. Means also has
assisted the Republican Party in campaigning on Pine Ridge.

In 1998, Means publicly accused Graham and Looking Cloud of murdering
Pictou-Aquash and demanded that the courts hand down indictments.
Following Looking Cloud's conviction, however, Means called it a travesty
of justice. Obviously, he is on whatever side brings him the most
attention.

Kelly White, a former AIM member, runs a Native issues radio show in
Vancouver. A few years before Graham was arrested, she began to target him
for defamation. At a Peltier support event in Vancouver, she got up on
stage and accused Graham of murdering Pictou-Aquash, although she didn't
have any evidence to back this up. Her personality is vindictive, and
over the years she's targeted various people in the community, including
those who have supported Graham's struggle against extradition.

This behavior is unacceptable; a basic principle of any resistance
movement is non-collaboration with the enemy. As Peltier has written
regarding the arrest of Graham: "When we talk of sovereignty, we must be
willing to solve our own problems and not go running to the oppressor for
relief.... We have been and still are at odds with the most dangerous,
well-funded, strongest military and political organization in the history
of the world."

John Trudell, a onetime AIM spokesperson turned actor and musician, is
also helping the FBI pin Pictou-Aquash's murder on former AIM members.
Trudell's testimony at Looking Cloud's trial can be summed up as: "Though
I have no recollection of ever meeting Looking Cloud, he tracked me down
and confessed his role in Anna Mac's murder—but until this time, I chose
to stay silent." Graham's extradition was made possible by Trudell’s
positive identification of him to the FBI.

Former AIM member Kamook Nichols also gave testimony at Looking Cloud's
trial. She stated that Dennis Banks, her former husband and cofounder of
AIM, and Peltier believed that Pictou-Aquash was working for the FBI.
Nichols stated that they had planned to bomb strategic locations on Pine
Ridge and wanted Pictou-Aquash's fingerprints on the explosives.

Not only did the FBI give Nichols immunity, it also gave her $42,000 for
her cooperation. She also admitted to wearing a wire for the FBI over
the. years. It is suspected that Nichols may have implicated her
exhusband for personal reasons; it has been documented that Pictou-Aquash
and Banks were having an affair—something Nichols has known of since
August 1975. Nichols' testimony is suspect for another reason: In
September 2004, she married Robert Ecoffey, following a five-year-long
relationship.

On December 1, 2003, John Graham, a Southern Tuchone from the Yukon and a
father of eight, was arrested in Vancouver, Canada, for the murder of
Pictou-Aquash. To raise his $50,000 bail, his family had to sell their
trapline, their traditional way of living off the land. In early 2005, the
government of British Columbia approved his extradition to the US. His
appeal is scheduled for June.

Graham is a warrior. As a young man, he went to South Dakota to join the
AIM campaign on Pine Ridge. Over the years, he has continued to make
great contributions to indigenous resistance to uranium mining. I've met
many people who've worked with him and have heard only good things about
him. Unlike many former AIM members, he refuses to cooperate with the FBI
and refuses to implicate anyone for any reason.

Graham has stated that Pictou-Aquash was his sister and that they stuck
together because Natives from Canada tended to be given a hard time by
their US brothers and sisters. His job was to transport Pictou-Aquash,
who was hiding from Agent Price and a violent infiltrator named Douglas
Durham. Graham has stated that he drove her from Denver to a safe house
on Pine Ridge.

Graham says that the FBI started to visit him in the Yukon during the
mid-1990s. On four separate visits, they offered him immunity and a new
identity if he testified that any of the former AIM leaders had ordered
Pictou-Aquash's execution. He refused. On their last visit, they stated
that this would be his final chance to cooperate; if he would not
testify, they would charge him with her murder.

During Graham's extradition hearing, Peltier submitted an affidavit
stating that he had been offered his freedom within ten days if he signed
an affidavit to implicate John Graham in Anna Mac's murder, Peltier
refused. There is no physical evidence against Graham, only more
unreliable, FBI-tainted testimony. Furthermore, US and Canadian court
systems have no jurisdiction or authority over indigenous people. We have
the right to practice our own justice system—something recognized in
Canadian law.

Graham's current legal struggle reflects the political repression faced by
Native activists who have defended their land and their traditional way

of life. Most of British Columbia has never been ceded to any colonial
government, and the indigenous nations living there have full jurisdiction
over their lands and resources.

British Columbia is very rich in natural resources—it has the
eighth-highest mineral potential in the world. The province also has
plans to carve up the mountains with wall-to-wall ski resorts by 2010.
Currently, there is much indigenous resistance to mining and resort
development. The most extreme case was the Gustafsen Lake standoff in
1995, when the government deployed 400 Royal Canadian Mounted Police
tactical-assault-team members to kill about 20 Natives who had defied a
trespass notice and were living within their traditional tribal
territories. Since then, dozens of Native people who have defended their
lands have been criminalized.

John Graham and Arlo Looking Cloud's current struggle for their own
freedom is a clear message being sent out to all Native land defenders.
This is a threat being made against anyone who dares to stand up to the
corporations that are stealing our lands. Now is the time to come
together and make a strong stand. We will be tested more in the coming
years.

For more infomation, contact the John Graham Defense Committee, 15 Firth 
Rd, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 4R5, Canada; (867)633-2480

Billie Pierre is a Nlaka'Pamux/Saulteaux woman based in Vancouver. She's 
a NYM OG and joined in 1995.

© Earth First! Journal January/February

-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.