MIM Notes 193 
September 1, 1999

Activists gather to organize for justice and Peltier's freedom

by MIM

The Leonard Peltier Defense Organizing Conference sponsored by the 
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) in June successfully 
underscored Amerika's perpetration of violence and injustice 
against indigenous peoples. Attended by over 150 participants, the 
conference launched an intensified campaign to free Peltier.

The conference educated attendees about Amerika's history of 
genocide, the FBI Counter Intelligence Programs (COINTELPRO), and 
details of Peltier's framing, extradition and unfair trial for 
murder. Discussion focused on the continuing campaign for 
Peltier's freedom.

Peltier wrote in his introductory statement to the conference: 
"This constitution of the US does not apply to everyone, it does 
not apply to my people. We cannot allow this government to 
continue. This affects more than me, [this affects] more than [my] 
people now. This is the same way the US treats other countries."

MIM attended the conference to build unity with those opposed to 
the imperialist repression. We agree with Peltier that Amerikan 
law does not apply to indigenous peoples. Our support for his 
freedom is part of the struggle against imperialism and white 
settler nation domination. Imprisonment of political leaders like 
Leonard Peltier is an oppressive tool to thwart anti-imperialist 
organizing. But such attacks on political leaders can only prolong 
the cancerous life of the imperialist system, they cannot make it 
live forever.



Repression breeds resistance

The conference presented a clear indictment against the Amerikan 
prison system. Many also emphasized the need for an 
internationalist perspective in fighting injustice. The FBI's 
COINTELPROs have attacked nationalists, revolutionaries, and 
radical activists. This war includes unjust imprisonment, torture 
and assassination of political leaders. Though COINTELPROs aim to 
destroy resistance, the movement continues to grow. 

During the prison issues panel, former prisoner Ida Robinson said, 
"colonialism has alienated oppressed peoples. If we don't fight 
it, they will continue to kill us one by one. It may be different 
from how it happened 40 or 80 years ago, [but] it's still 
genocide."

Damning imperialism for its anti-people politics, LPDC organizer 
and former prisoner Bobby Castillo said "we're tired of the lies. 
They attack people trying to change [their own living conditions]. 
They are at war." Ramona Africa added: "this government 
manipulates public opinion to make resistance criminal."

Dennis Brutus, who was imprisoned in South Africa because of his 
involvement in the anti-apartheid movement, also spoke at the 
conference. He eloquently linked the battle for Peltier's freedom 
from the u.$. prisons to continued opposition to Amerika's 
atrocities world-wide. Brutus said it is significant that Amnesty 
International (AI) is now taking a clear stand on Peltier's case. 
AI decided in April 1999 to call for Peltier's immediate release. 
This is a positive step forward, but as Brutus pointed out, there 
is much more work to do. He emphasized the need for youth to 
organize. He said that "youth focus on political prisoners in 
other countries, but believe the myth that there are no political 
prisoners in the U.S."

The repressive Amerikan lockdown only breeds the resistance it 
attempts to quell. White Amerika will continue to attack 
progressive victories as they are won. For this reason, MIM fights 
winnable battles that contribute to the overall struggle to 
dismantle imperialism. Proletarian-led armed struggle to seize 
state power is ultimately the only way oppressed nations will gain 
freedom from imperialist control.



Unity and struggle to advance anti-imperialism

MIM discussed many aspects of organizing with activists during the 
LPOC. Many had not heard of MIM and many were initially leery of 
communist organizing. Much of their mistrust arose from experience 
with revisionist organizations. Revisionists claim to be 
communist, but do more harm than good to the reputation of Marxism 
by fundamentally revising Marxist principles.

MIM dispelled myths about Maoism and explained that during the era 
of imperialism, genuine communists work for liberation of 
oppressed nations from imperialist control -- the first step 
toward the end of all group oppression. We organize to stop the 
flow of superprofits from the Third World to the imperialist 
nations and support the oppressed nations' struggles for land and 
reparations. We oppose all demands for increased wealth for the 
imperialists, as this wealth can only be gained at the expense of 
colonized peoples.

Many so-called communists have raised the masses' suspicions by 
infiltrating the leadership of mass organizations to advance their 
party politics within the mass organization. This has led mass 
organizations to lose focus on their basic points of unity and 
split over issues of party politics. MIM has published our own 
criticisms of this practice so we can be held accountable to 
organizing in an honest, principled and correct way.(Order a copy 
of our 16-page What is MIM? pamphlet for our policy on working 
with mass organizations.) Though the Party and mass organizations 
may disagree on ideology strategy, MIM sees the progressive role 
mass organizations play in developing and radicalizing activists. 
There are many points of unity on which we can combine our efforts 
with non-Communist, progressive organizations.

MIM urges activists to look at the historical advances in the 
masses' living conditions made by proletarian revolutions. Compare 
the changes in the Chinese people's material conditions from 1949-
1976 to the material advances made by movements whose ideology you 
agree with. All revolutionary movements have made mistakes. MIM 
learns from historical mistakes. We take our lumps for these 
mistakes when we say that at the end of the day, Marxism-Leninism-
Maoism has the best proven record of ending oppression. We urge 
radicals to judge us by our line and by history, and to 
acknowledge the real gains of Maoism for the world's people.

One of MIM's fundamental positions is opposition to white nation 
chauvinism in Amerika. In this we found unity with a supporter of 
the Makah nation and environmentalists from Earth First!. We 
discussed the chauvinism of pseudo-environmentalists who have 
attacked indigenous peoples under the guise of protecting whales. 
Genuine environmentalists fight for the end of environmental 
destruction and the end to all oppression. Imperialist plunder of 
natural resources and militarism are the main dangers to the 
environment today. Pseudo-environmentalists who would strip 
oppressed nations of the right to national self-determination are 
standing in the way of anti-imperialism and ensuring the continued 
decimation of this planet.

Others started to understand Maoism as MIM discussed struggles of 
prisoners. In Amerika, the INjustice system is a tool of 
oppression. Wimmin who had lived on reservations and had seen 
First Nation men rounded up and sent to prison agreed that 
Amerikan prisons are not about rehabilitation, they are about 
social control. Many were surprised to hear that the Chinese 
Communist Party of 1949-76 ran prisons for rehabilitation instead 
of repression. Comparing misinformation about communism to 
misinformation about Peltier's case, one womyn noted how the 
bourgeoisie uses its media outlets to divide the oppressed from 
genuine struggles for justice.

MIM encourages mass organizations and individual progressives to 
recognize our common goals and work with us. In working together, 
MIM respects the independence of mass organizations and retain our 
own independence. All work in which MIM participates must promote 
proletarian politics, but those working with us are not required 
to promote communism or armed struggle. We only refuse to take 
part in work that denounces proletarian politics, or builds 
support in any way for imperialism.

We commend the LPDC for organizing this conference and we urge 
readers to work with MIM to advance anti-imperialism toward 
socialism. The LPDC is planning several actions. During the month 
of November, they plan a continuous protest in Washington D.C. 
climaxing with a march on so-called Thanksgiving weekend. MIM will 
continue organizing work on the streets, through our media, and 
through continued education for the masses. We will organize a 
proletarian anti-imperialist contingent for the D.C. march to 
build support for Peltier's freedom and the freedom of all 
oppressed peoples of the world. Contact mim@mim.org for more 
information on local organizing against settler nation domination.

The LPDC can be contacted at: P.O. Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044; 
phone (785) 842-5774.