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Write Letters of Support to Leonard
First and foremost, let
Leonard Peltier know that he is not forgotten. Leonard is currently imprisoned at the United States
Penitentiary at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. You can send cards and
letters to:
Leonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Lewisburg
US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Congressional Guidelines Never
underestimate the power of a constituent's letter. A
constituent's letter can be very powerful and personal letters
show that you really care about the issue.
We encourage you to contact your legislators
at both their local offices and their offices in Washington, DC.
Contact information for local offices can be located on members'
web sites, accessible through the below House and Senate
portals.
Postal mail to the U.S. Congress has slowed
down considerably after increased security. Please note the
process for mail delivery to
members of Congress. Correspondence:
- is inspected to ensure that the letter is sent from a
constituent of the senator or representative
- arrives at a processing unit in Virginia (2-4 days)
- is forwarded to Lima, Ohio, for irradiation procedures
(10-14 days)
- is forwarded to another processing unit where all
non-paper contents are removed and tested (7-10 days)
- is sorted and delivered to individual
congressional offices, if it clears the 7- to 10-day waiting
period for test results.
Therefore, we highly recommend that you fax
or e-mail the letter. You can still mail a letter, if you wish,
but you need more lead time for delivery.
Make Your Letter Effective
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Find your Congressional District and
contact information.
-
Keep your letter short. Be concise and limit your letter to one
or two pages.
-
Use the appropriate address and salutation. Use the correct
title, address, and salutation, and remember to use spell check
after completing your letter.
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For Representative:
The Honorable John Q. Smith
U.S. House of Representatives
111 Address
Washington , DC 20010
Dear Representative Smith: |
For Senator:
The Honorable John Q. Smith
U.S. Senate
111 Address
Washington, DC 20010
Dear Senator Smith: |
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Identify yourself. Let your legislator know that you
are a constituent.
-
Be polite. Like most of us, legislators will respond
better to positive communication. Start by recognizing their
support on specific pieces of legislation. You can identify
those legislative priorities by visiting your representative's
and/or senators' Web pages. (Links to such sites are included in
the output provided by the above House and Senate directories.)
-
Explain your position. Be clear and concise with
regard to your position on the issue you address in your letter.
-
Ask for a response. Be clear about what you would like
your legislator to do and request a reply to your letter.
-
Write legibly.
Your letter is part of
a letter-writing campaign, so a handwritten letter will give the
appearance of a grassroots "ordinary citizen" communication,
rather than a communication from a "special interest group."
Handwritten letters can be as persuasive as typed letters, but
your handwriting must be legible.
Telephone Guidelines
A quick and effective
way of letting members of Congress know your position on the
Peltier case is a phone call. When legislators get several phone
calls from constituents on issues or legislation, they begin to
pay more attention.
Consult this
phone listing (PDF format, current as of September 11, 2009) for members of
the U.S. Senate. Use District of Columbia area code 202 and the 22
prefix followed by the number listed for the senator you wish to
reach.
You may locate the telephone numbers for your member of the U.S.
House of Representatives
here (PDF format). This listing is current as of September 10,
2009. Use District
of Columbia area code 202 and the 22 prefix followed by the number
listed for the representative you wish to reach. (This listing also
is available in
HTML.)
When making a phone
call to the office of your member of Congress, be sure to
include the following information:
-
Who you are. Let the legislator’s
office know that you are a constituent, and you may wish to talk
a little bit about your credentials where appropriate.
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The issue and your position on it.
Whether you're calling a member of Congress about Peltier's
parole, clemency, release of government documents on the case,
or the need for congressional hearings be sure to give your
position on the issue. Be clear and concise.
-
How to contact you. Remember to leave
your address and telephone number so that you can receive a
response from your member of Congress.
Note: The same guidelines apply when calling
the White House to urge the President to grant a commutation of
Peltier's sentence. The following telephone numbers may be of
used for this purpose: 202-456-1111 (Comments); and 202-456-1414
(Switchboard).
Next Steps
You may want to follow your phone call with a
letter. A constituent's letter can be very powerful and personal letters show that you really care about the issue.
Generally, writing in a professional capacity
related to your employment (if applicable) lends credibility.
Handwritten letters can be as persuasive as
typed letters, remember. A handwritten letter gives the
appearance of a grassroots "ordinary citizen" communication,
rather than a communication from a "special interest group."
Be sure, however, to write legibly.
Fax or e-mail the letter. Postal mail to the
U.S. Congress has slowed down considerably after increased
security. You can still mail a letter, but need more lead time
for delivery.
To make your letter effective:
-
Find your Congressional District and
contact information.
-
Keep your letter short. Be concise and limit your letter to one
or two pages.
-
Use the appropriate address and salutation. Use the correct
title, address, and salutation, and remember to use spell check
after completing your letter.
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For Representative:
The Honorable John Q. Smith
U.S. House of Representatives
111 Address
Washington , DC 20010
Dear Representative Smith: |
For Senator:
The Honorable John Q. Smith
U.S. Senate
111 Address
Washington, DC 20010
Dear Senator Smith: |
-
Identify yourself. Let your legislator know that you
are a constituent.
-
Be polite. Like most of us, legislators will respond
better to positive communication. Start by recognizing their
support on specific pieces of legislation.
-
Explain your position. Be clear and concise with
regard to your position on the issue you address in your letter.
-
Ask for a response. Be clear about what you would like
your legislator to do and request a reply to your letter.
You also may wish to write to the White House
to request that the President award a grant of Executive
Clemency to Peltier.
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President Barack
Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500 |
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Phone Numbers: |
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Comments - 202-456-1111
Switchboard - 202-456-1414
Fax - 202-456-2461 |
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E-Mail:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
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NEW Try this
tool to make your e-mails to the White House
more effective. |
Topics of Correspondence and Sample Letters
Regarding a Congressional Hearing—Please
urge Congress to investigate the Pine Ridge "Reign of Terror,"
misconduct against the American Indian Movement, and the
wrongful conviction and illegal imprisonment of Leonard Peltier.
Click here
to view a sample letter. Regarding Clemency—We ask you to write to the White House to request a commutation
of Leonard Peltier's sentence.
Click here to view a sample
letter.
NEW
Regarding An Executive Review of the Case—On
June 23, 1995, Amnesty International submitted a letter of
concern about the Peltier case to the then U.S. Attorney
General. There was no response. Write to Eric Holder, Attorney
General. Ask him to conduct an executive review of the case and
to finally right the wrongs of the past. Tell him it's never too
late to find the truth, but also remind him that justice delayed
is justice denied.
Click here to view a sample letter.
Regarding FOIA
Documents—The
government must release all documents related to the Peltier
case. These documents are over 25 years old and are considered
historically significant. Further, they may contain information
that may exonerate Leonard Peltier.
Click here to view a
sample letter regarding the release of such
documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
 A
New Approach: Video Advocacy Messages
Share your thoughts with your officials with a Video Advocacy
Message in just three simple steps:
- Create a video in which you
address your officials.
- Upload it to
YouTube.
- Use this
form to send it to your officials. View your
Video Advocacy Message.
Helpful links:
Letters to the Editor
Communicating with your members of Congress is one of the most
important ways you can participate in the legislative process
and one highly effective way that you can expand your lobbying
efforts is by writing a letter to the editor of your local
newspaper. Letters-to-the-editor take no more time to write than
e-mails to Congress and, by writing for a public forum, you can
potentially influence both your legislators and many of the
voters who elect them.
Click
here for media outlets in your area.
Also read these
tips.
Letters to editors also can be made easy through free online
services such as
PublishaLetter.com. In a few clicks your letter will be on
its way to the editor of your choice.
Other Actions
Please also
write to the following organizations to urge their continued advocacy
on Leonard's behalf:
Amnesty International
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London WC1X 0DW
UK
*You also may send
correspondence to the national Amnesty International office in
your home country.
Amnesty International-USA
5 Penn Plaza – 14th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue
34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Working Group on Indigenous
Populations
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Working Group on Arbitrary
Detentions
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations
CH-1211
Geneva 10
Switzerland
Write letters—and keep writing them—until
Leonard Peltier is FREE.
Please also view information on our site regarding
petitions
and
calls to
Congress.
Attention non-U.S. citizens: You also can contact your
country’s legislative body to educate and influence your
legislators. Urge your country’s government to support freedom
for Leonard Peltier. You might also suggest that your
legislator sponsor a
resolution in support of Leonard Peltier.
In Europe, the
International Peltier Forum (IPF) may be able to provide
guidance as regards efforts currently underway or direct you to
other resources. Contact the IPF at
IPForum@skynet.be.
In addition to the above actions, please contact your
embassy
in the United States to express your concerns about the Peltier
case and urge your diplomats to speak out on Leonard Peltier's
behalf. |
