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Many in the Indigenous community say the commutation granted to Indigenous rights activist 

 by former President Joe Biden on Monday might finally bring to light their side of the story. 

Peltier, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1977 for the murder of two FBI agents, 

will be leaving prison and heading home in February

 to finish his sentence. While law enforcement has been widely critical of the commutation, activists and politicians who believed Peltier was wrongly convicted see an opportunity to reexamine history. 

“Everything was skewed against Native American people, and the Native American perspective was not given an opportunity to be understood,” said Reid Raymond, a long-serving Hennepin County attorney and member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. 

Raymond worked as a student journalist at the University of Minnesota radio station KUOM, later known as Radio K, during the standoff that led to Peltier’s conviction in the ‘70s. Later, as a reporter and host for MIGIZI Communications weekly Native American radio program, Raymond covered Leonard Peltier’s trial in North Dakota and a separate trial in Wisconsin.

He spoke to All Things Considered in a personal capacity about his experience covering Peltier. 

The transcript below has been edited for length and clarity. Click the player above to hear the interview.

What went through your mind when you heard this news that Leonard Peltier’s sentence would be commuted?

I was surprised. I didn’t think that President Biden would do it. I know that he has been considering a lot of other factors for people that he’s taken action to free from prison, including age. Leonard Peltier is old, so.

But I was very surprised. I assumed incorrectly that the push by law enforcement, and in particular by FBI Director Christopher Wray would prevail again, and that Leonard Peltier would would die in prison, which I think would would have been an injustice.

Peltier maintained his innocence all these years. Why were so many other people also convinced of his innocence?

There’s always two sides, at least two sides, to all these stories and I think that the Native American side of the story has not been properly brought before the public.

The key thing that everyone needs to remember is that 

Leonard Peltier’s prosecutor said that he should not have been convicted.

 In other words, the evidence wasn’t there to convict him, and that came out years later. 

But the jury in Fargo, N.D., was not a fair and impartial jury. In my opinion, everything was skewed against Native American people, and the Native American perspective was not given an opportunity to be understood. And I hate to say it, but I think that racism played a part in it. Even today, there’s a significant amount of racism against our Native people in South Dakota.

What was the effort like to get Peltier released?

It’s been largely members of the American Indian Movement and other advocates who have worked tirelessly over the years to bring his story to light. It’s grown over the years, and I think hundreds of tribal leaders approached President Biden and asked him to grant clemency at this time.

Christopher Wray, the outgoing head of the FBI and others, argued that this shouldn’t happen.

Christopher Wray brought forward the FBI’s perspective, and I think that it’s incumbent upon him, as the FBI director, to do that. I mean, they absolutely have to work to see that people that were convicted of crimes pay for those crimes.

I think it should be considered also that this is not a pardon, and Leonard Peltier’s health is very bad. He’s suffering from serious medical problems, and he has served many, many years.

There’s nothing to be gained by having him die in prison. And that’s probably one of the things President Biden considered when he granted clemency.

I understand you talked to him just a few years ago. What did he tell you at that point?

I had a chance to talk to Leonard Peltier in March of 2018. He told me that he continued to want to be released. And essentially he wanted to go home to finish out his life. His quote was, “I want to go home to die.”

What does this clemency mean for Indigenous communities across the state?

I hope that it’s a big deal so that people learn about what actually happened back in the ‘70s, and I hope they’re able to understand that Leonard Peltier was part of a movement to bring the injustices that have been perpetrated against Native American people to light and to protect Native people in their homes.

I don’t think that that story has really been told well. Even now, a lot of the coverage that we’re seeing is more focused on the deaths of the FBI agents, which is understandable — it’s part of the story — but what about the rest of it? What about the suffering that Native American people have gone through? And of course, our people in South Dakota continue to suffer. We continue to be some of the poorest counties in the entire country.

I think that Leonard Peltier will see be seen as being a champion in the long run, and right now he is seen as being a champion by Native Americans.

MPR News Native News senior reporter Melissa Olson and APM Reports senior reporter Allison Herrera contributed to this report.

Correction (Jan. 24, 2025): An earlier version of this story misidentified where Reid Raymond worked as a student journalist. The above story has been corrected.

Tom Crann

Host

Lukas Levin

Author

In one of his final acts, former President Joe Biden sent Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier home to complete his life sentence. Although it is not a pardon, many in the Indigenous community are celebrating what they see as win for Native American activism. 

In one of his final acts, former President Joe Biden sent indigenous activist Leonard Peltier home to complete his life sentence. Although it is not a pardon, many in the Indigenous community are celebrating what they see as win for Native American activism. 

‘A champion’: Man who covered Leonard Peltier’s trial praises his release from prison

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