"In November 1972 Leonard Peltier was harassed and then beaten by two off-duty Milwaukee police under the direction of the FBI and charged with attempted murder. He was later acquitted of this charge, but the government harassment continued, leading to his trial and conviction on charges stemming from events on the Pine Ridge reservation on June 26, 1975." In the aftermath of Wounded Knee, traditional Native people on the Pine Ridge reservation were struggling to regain control of their lives, land and resources from the tribal government which was controlled by the BIA. A virtual state of war existed on the Reservation--since 1973 over 200 traditionalists had been killed by the tribal police, BIA and FBI forces. The FBI and SWAT teams were prepared to support the tribal government and those favoring control of the reservation to ensure the control and exploitation of the Native land and resources by multi-national corporations. Leonard and others were asked to come to Pine Ridge to defend traditional people from such attacks. (More to come)