STANDING DEER'S STATEMENT FOR MARCH 24, 1985 BENEFIT AT DA WARD STUDIOS




In the spirit of Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Dallas Thundershield, Bobby Gene Garcia, Anna Mae Aquash, Emiliano Zapata, Jonathan Jackson, Comrade George, Sam Melvile, Willie Wolfe, Bruce Seidel and all those martyred brothers and sisters who have given their lives in the cause of freedom, I extend the left hand of my left arm which is nearest to my heart to all of you who have come to this benefit.

Only a few months ago, I did not even know the meaning of "Punk", and now I find at age 62 I am one. I owe my thanks to Ron and Gabi for reaching out to me in the bowels of this monster and educating me to the high energy movement of human beings who refuse to allow captive thoughts and conditioned minds to lock them into the treadmill of playing "follow the asshole leader" from cradle to grave.
At the present time my Indian People are struggling to survive and overcome the genocidal policies of Reagan's America. We're struggling to prevent the pitifully small lands we have left from being swallowed up by the hungry jaws of the multinationals. We watch helplessly as our brothers and sisters who resist the theft of our lands are being murdered and imprisoned. We hear the cries of our Mother Earth as the strip miners tear at her skin and the greedy ones pollute her lakes, rivers and streams. We see in these political prisons that it is all who actively resist that are being locked up. For Leonard Peltier and myself we must do what we can to help our people from this, the most heinous and repressive political prison in the civilized world. There are two nightmare prisons for political prisoners in America - the united states penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, and the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners at Springfield, Missouri. Few people are even aware that the behavior modification section of the Springfield Medical Center exists. I can assure you that it does, as I have been in it since May of 1984. The united states talks bad about the Gulag in Russia while pretending that these chambers of horror do not exist in america. Me, Leonard Peltier and Albert Garza have been held in this torture chamber for nearly a year now and the torture that has been inflicted upon us during that time would stagger the imagination. We are being punished for the simple act of sitting quietly in our cells at Marion, fasting and praying. The united states banned our religion in Marion and fasting was the only part of our religion that we could practice. They have kept us here under torture all of this time in a futile effort to extract a promise from us that we won't fast when we are returned to Marion. Before the united states can impose control over the religion of my grandfathers they will have to stuff my ass with cotton and put a red tag on my big toe. Like my spiritual leader, Crazy Horse, I am living out the rest of my life in total resistance. They can kill me but they can't eat me.
To all of you who struggle, I send you my love and strength. My health is bad but my spirit is strong; I feel like a conquering lion and I am there fighting by your side.
I send you this message In the Spirit of Crazy Horse.
Standing Deer


Oneida IndianChoctaw Indian

Oneida Indian is on the left. Choctaw Indian is on the right. Standing Deer is Oneida/Choctaw.






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