Leonard Peltier + Working within the system

Bradford DeLong delong at econ.Berkeley.EDU
Wed Dec 20 13:32:50 PST 2000



>Hi,
>
>I certainly am biased on this question. I have worked on researching several
>matters for AIM, including a non-related case involving a homocide
>for Peltier's
>attorney Bruce Ellison.
>
>Concerning support for Peltier v. working within the system, the premise is
>flawed by the comfort of class and racial privilege. The right to armed
>self-defense is very different from the call for armed struggle. Armed
>self-defense is a reality for many people of color in the U.S. This
>is not some
>silly White guilt claim, but a fact that I have observed working on police
>misconduct cases and studying White supremacist terrorism.
>
>When people surround your house and start shooting through the windows, it is
>both practical and legal to fire back if the people do not identify themselves
>as law enforcement. Sometimes it is legally justified to return fire
>against law
>enforcement officers who are acting outside their authority (although I do not
>suggest this is a good idea in general).

To shoot them in the head from three feet away, which is what I gather was done in this case?

Brad DeLong



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