Peltier Justice

Chauncey (Board President)

 

Hello, my name is Chauncey Peltier.  I am the oldest son of Leonard Peltier.  My father is Turtle Mountain Chippewa and my mother is Fort Totten Sioux.

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I worked 27 years as a hod carrier and certified rigger. After retiring from Local 296, I was self-employed and then due to my concern for political prisoners and my father's fight for freedom, I began working as the Director of Peltier Art.  I also took on the additional role as co-director of the Indigenous Rights Center (home to the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee).  All of my time is dedicated to creating more awareness of the injustices being inflicted on my father.   

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Leonard has been incarcerated for over 40 years for protecting the land, the elders, women and children. He is 71-years old, diabetic with a stomach aneurysm and still being held in a maximum security prison.   His imprisonment has been one of the most controversial Native American arrests in history and it is way past time for Leonard to come home.

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When I talk to my father, the only thing he wants is to come home and paint and work on old cars.  I am determined to make that happen.  

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Come out and support this very important cause.  Your participation will go a long way in aiding Leonard.

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Help me bring him home.

 

Chauncey Peltier

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Marielle (Board Secretary)

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Marielle Battin, a mother of two from Portland, Oregon, is a community advocate who works on behalf of adolescents.  She has recently partnered with schools on native reservations in South Dakota to assist them with the acquisition of much-needed supplies for academics, sports and hygiene.  However, she emphasizes that material goods are only part of the equation. "I am determined to equip the next generation with empowerment, knowledge of tradition and other tools that will make them caring and successful adults,"  Ms. Battin says. "If we mentor well, then each generation will pass these gifts on to their own children."  She urges those who want to join in these efforts to contact her with project ideas or to let her know about schools that may need assistance. She is also seeking "sister schools," to help other schools in need.

Ms. Battin was first inspired to work for the community when, as a teenager she witnessed many of her friends facing social injustice. She also began to learn about Leonard Peltier, the native rights activist who is one of the longest-serving political prisoners in the world.  His unjust plight prompted her to study native history. In 2015 - during the Obama administration - Ms. Battin met Chauncey Peltier, Leonard's son, and volunteered to help him win a clemency she hopes one day will be forthcoming.

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